Formula One news

Hamilton: Alonso not talking to me

Lewis Hamilton revealed the current tension between himself and McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso after taking the chequered flag in Budapest yesterday. According to the 22-year-old, the double-world champion is not talking to him after Saturday's qualifying incident, where Hamilton disobeyed team orders by not letting Alonso past on track before Alonso held Hamilton up in the pits.

"He doesn't seem to have been speaking to me since yesterday, so I don't know if he has a problem," Hamilton admitted in the post-race press conference.

Hamilton said that it is particularly disheartening considering the controversy that the team is immersed in. However, the Briton is upbeat about patching things up and putting on a united front.

"It is not great because of all the problems we are having already with the FIA and with Ferrari," Hamilon conceded. "It is just more pressure on the team. I think going on from now we need to analyse the weekend as always. We do need to sit down I guess and talk as a team and re-unite. But I have no worries about it."

Hamilton feels that is only natural for there to be tension between two team-mates, which translates from the ongoing battle to beat each other on track. But he insists that the door is always open as far as he is concerned.

Hamilton said: "I think it is always difficult. I have had it with every team I have been in. When you have the two most competitive people in the team, possibly the two most competitive people around, both wanting to win. It puts the team under immense pressure. It is just extremely hard for everyone to play fair and to make it easy. That's why sometimes it appears that one driver is favoured over the other. That's why sometimes I feel he is favoured and vice-versa.

"I think going on from now, I hope he still speaks to me. I am easy to get along with, I don't hold grudges on anyone. I'm still leading the championship, I haven't lost respect for him. If he doesn't want to speak to me than that is for him to decide, but I'm open.

"If I walk in and I see him I will speak to him. But I am not going to go looking for him and… make him feel better."

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