Lewis Hamilton admitted to a surprise and a sad memory on Friday after arriving at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The surprise came, he said, on learning about Formula One’s proposals for a drivers’ salary cap to begin in 2023.
The sadness, he said, hit him as he recalled the death of his childhood racing hero Ayrton Senna when he passed the memorial statue at Tamburello corner, where the Brazilian died in 1994.
Five days on from his record-breaking 92nd victory at last Sunday’s Portuguese Grand Prix, the six-time champion was back at work and facing a barrage of questions about the past, the present and the future.
He said talk of a salary cap was unexpected, but it had nothing to do with any delay in his negotiations for a new contract with Mercedes. The talks are officially on hold until the drivers’ and constructors’ championships are settled.