Lewis Hamilton has found a way to respond to Fernando Alonso’s expletive-laden post-race radio from the Singapore Grand Prix – without so much as typing a word himself.
Instead, the seven-time world champion turned to social media and, with his trademark mix of sly humor and mild savagery, let the internet do the talking.
The final laps of last Sunday’s event at Marina produced a thrilling duel between F1’s two elder statesmen. But despite finishing just four-tenths apart on track, Hamilton’s brake troubles in the closing laps meant he had to drive cautiously, cutting corners to stay ahead of Alonso.
Radio Rage: Alonso’s F-bomb Symphony
Alonso, clearly not impressed, let fly over Aston Martin’s team radio, leading to F1’s censor frantically working overtime.
“Oh, fu**ing hell, man. I cannot believe it. Yeah, he knew it. I cannot fu**ing believe it, I cannot fu**ing believe it. I mean, I cannot fu**ing believe it. I cannot fu**ing believe it.
“Is it safe to drive with no brakes? Oh, he should…”
His engineer calmly reminded him: “Yeah, no, no, we are looking to, we agree, we're checking track limits and stuff as well. You see, there's a margin there. Run switch warm-up, mate, run switch warm-up. That is P8 anyway, so good recovery.”
But Alonso, who sounded ready to hurl Hamilton’s Ferrari into the Singapore River, was far from over.
“Yeah, but this should be fu**ing P7. I mean, you cannot drive. Like if you are alone on track. Yeah, I mean, no respect the red flag yesterday, today, free track for them. I mean, maybe too much.”
The Spaniard was later promoted to seventh after Hamilton received a five-second post-race penalty – a small consolation, but it couldn’t erase the radio fireworks that would have made a sailor blush.
Hamilton Strikes Back… via Meldrew
Never one to let a rival have the last word, Hamilton responded on Monday with a social media jab that was as subtle as a neon sign in a blackout.
The seven-time champ posted an Instagram story featuring Victor Meldrew, the grumpy old man from the ‘90s BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave, endlessly muttering his famous catchphrase, “I don’t believe it.”
Hamilton’s caption? A sly “18 years of…” – a nod to the fact that he and Alonso have been bickering since their contentious 2007 McLaren partnership.
Somewhere between the expletive storm and the social media counterpunch, it became obvious: these drivers – even despite their respective competitive issues – are natural-born comedians, whether they’re angry, frustrated, or just playing the long game in the world’s most expensive theater of slapstick.
In the end, Hamilton’s subtle Meldrew tribute may have said more than any words ever could – proving that sometimes the best way to respond to a screaming rival on the radio is with a classic British sigh and a smirk.
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