Lewis Hamilton has urged fans not to boo drivers on the podium after a somewhat negative reaction for Nico Rosberg after the British Grand Prix.

Rosberg was booed on the podium as he walked out after finishing second at Silverstone, with Hamilton himself having received a similar reaction a week earlier in Austria. The defending champion referenced the boos before Rosberg was interviewed on the podium and says he was trying to address the situation.

"I was asked up front," Hamilton said. "I tried to like calm it down because ... I feel like it has been such a great day. I feel like we are better than that. I didn’t really hear a lot of boos. But what you have to understand is they are mad passionate fans and something wasn’t right in the last one.

"I imagine when we get to Germany, maybe we will have the same thing. I hope not because I think in sport in general, it is not the done thing. If I went to a football game and the other team won, I wouldn’t boo the other team because they did a better job and that is real sportsmanship."

And Hamilton was keen to highlight the positive support he received throughout the race weekend, describing it as "perfect" as he won his home race for the fourth time.

"It is a wonderful feeling. I even went out there and did some crowd surfing, which was much better than the one in the pit lane. But I am just blown away by the fans here. It is mesmerising to see so many people so cheerful, so… I was joking at the end and I pointed to a couple of guys dressed in Ferrari red and said, ‘you have got to change that’ for next year and they were like, ‘no…’

"But otherwise just seeing how positive everyone was and the constant cheer and the constant love that is shown. I really feel like we did it together. It was the same even in 2008 when I won here, we did it together, and every time I made it through a corner they would stand up. It is the same kind of thing.

"But it is a long journey we have been on together. Me and the fans, my fans, there is a real love there ... It was a perfect weekend."

RACE REPORT: Hamilton beats Rosberg and Verstappen in British GP

AS IT HAPPENED: British Grand Prix

FEATURE: Home sweet Home - Eric Silbermann on Silverstone

Romain Grosjean on predicting race results and collisions between team mates, in his latest column for F1i

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

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