Lewis Hamilton adopts combative stance after Ferrari tensions: 'I'm not going to be silenced'

Lewis Hamilton has rejected suggestions that his pointed Ferrari team radio messages are calculated, insisting he will not be silenced following the fallout from the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The seven-time F1 drivers' champion was furious after his opening-lap battle with team-mate Charles Leclerc derailed Ferrari's hopes of victory, and potentially a one-two finish.

Leclerc cut the track to take the lead and received a five-second penalty, while Hamilton lost a place to Max Verstappen, who went on to win.

Hamilton questioned the punishment over the radio to race engineer Carlo Santi, arguing Leclerc had the advantage of clean air, and later warned Ferrari it had "big problems". After finishing second, he called for "serious talks" and questioned Leclerc's "do or die" approach.

"I don't know; I don't really care how everyone feels about what I've said," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365.

"I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I say how I feel in the moment. One thing that I would like to [address], I did see something; someone was saying that it's calculated, the things that I'm saying [on team radio].

"I just want to combat that with the fact that when you're in the race, your heart rate is like 170; you're driving 200 miles an hour. You don't have time to be calculated in what you're saying and thinking that what you're saying, the media are going to write about. You don't think about that."

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Hamilton will not apologise for being outspoken

Hamilton also argued that drivers are encouraged to flag potential infringements to officials, pointing to a practice-session incident involving Isack Hadjar in Mexico as an example of why remaining silent can matter.

"Usually your frustration comes out towards the people in your team, particularly the bosses, about decisions, and also the stewards have always asked us to voice when we have... if there's an issue on the track, for example, if you get held up, you get blocked — they ask you to voice it," he explained.

"An example is, if you look at Mexico, one of the practice sessions, Hadjar backed off on the racing line into Turn 1. I didn't say anything about it; they didn't look into it.

"If I had spoken and thrown my hands up, for example, they would have investigated, and he would have got a penalty because it was impeding, and so it is important to make sure you're open."

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur accused both drivers of a "lack of respect" towards the team following the costly incident. Hamilton nevertheless maintained he would speak freely.

"Of course, there's sometimes you say things, and maybe you might regret it afterwards, but I'm never going to apologise for being authentic and real," Hamilton said.

"I'm not going to be silenced; I've never been silenced. I've not been asked not to say anything, and that's just the way it is."