Lewis Hamilton defends Max Verstappen with comment “F1 won’t like me saying”

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both rejected Silverstone boss Stuart Pringle’s suggestion that Red Bull’s dominance is to blame for the failure to sell out for the British Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton absolved Red Bull of blame for the fact Silverstone still has tickets available for the British Grand Prix.

Fans can still buy entry to Silverstone for the event which begins in less than two weeks. Explaining why, the circuit’s managing director Stuart Pringle pointed the finger at Max Verstappen and his team for their dominance of the sport.

He said: “But if there is a strong likelihood of the same winner, and the jeopardy is taken out of the sport, it does take the edge off it. Last year was very repetitive in terms of one team dominating and they set off this season in the same vein.

“Things may be changing now, and I do recognise that we had several years of a British driver dominating the championship, and we didn’t mind that so much as a British promoter! But it’s certainly been a lot harder with Red Bull dominating.”

Verstappen baulked at that suggestion and snapped back, suggesting that the race promoter should accept responsibility for the fact there are still tickets on sale less than two weeks before fans start arriving at the Northamptonshire track. He said: “I don’t think it’s my fault.

“The F1 season is very exciting with a lot of teams fighting for wins now. If the promoter can’t fill the seats and they blame it on someone else, then I think they first have to look at themselves, because other places are quite easy to fill.”

And he has found support from his old rival Hamilton who pointed at price rises for another likely cause for the struggle to sell out. General admission prices start at almost £350 per person which makes the British GP one of the most expensive on the F1 calendar when it comes to tickets.

Asked for his thoughts on the Silverstone event, the seven-time F1 champion said: “So many fans come and have a great weekend. The only thing I would ever say is that we have to watch ticket prices. I think they’re continuing to rise and the cost of living nowadays, I think it’s too high.

“The sport won’t like that I’m saying that, but I’m just thinking from the perspective of fans and their families. It’s hugely expensive, so I think it’s looking into ways where you can make better accessibility for people.”

Pringle defended Silverstone’s ticket prices and said: “As a promoter, you have to get your ticket pricing strategy correct. You could make these things go quicker if you reduce the price. But we have got expensive bills to pay, not less the promoter fee, so it’s about hitting a strategy and making sure it works, which we’re pretty comfortable with.”