Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff believes that Lewis Hamilton's willingness to admit to his errors truly sets him apart from his peers.
At the Italian Grand Prix last time out, in the second part of the race, Hamilton clashed with McLaren's Oscar Piastri at the Della Roggia chicane as the pair were fighting for seventh place.
The contact forced the Aussie to pit for a new front wing while Hamilton was handed a five-second penalty by the stewards for 'causing a collision' with the McLaren rookie.
After the race, the Mercedes driver immediately apologized to Piatri and readily admitted to his mistake, a candor and honesty saluted by Wolff.
While Hamilton is known for his exceptional skill and consistency on the track, what truly stands out fro Wolff is the Briton's willingness to admit his mistakes when they occur, no matter how infrequent they may be.
"He’s very sportsmanlike with these things, and he is the only one that I see out there admitting and saying: ‘I got this wrong’,” Wolff said at Monza.
"We just had a chat and [he said] he didn’t see him on the right and: ‘It goes on me.’
"I think that kind of sportsmanship is what you need to admire with him, as pretty much everyone is always complaining and moaning just to try to not gain a penalty."
In the McLaren camp, although Piastri paid the price for Hamilton's maneuver, team boss Andrea Stella also commended the seven-time F1 world champion for his honesty.
"I think maybe Lewis got a little frustrated because, in reality, I think Lewis would have overtaken Oscar," Stella explained. "If not there, he would have overtaken at the next opportunity.
"So in a similar way, I think there was no need to take too much risk for Lewis because he had the pace to overtake with more margin, I would say.
"Lewis is a fair competitor. If he apologised it shows his qualities as a competitor and as a person. He definitely has our respect."
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
