Lewis Hamilton last night threatened to boycott a major British Grand Prix sponsorship stunt in an apparent dispute over payment.
The seven-time world champion is annoyed by Formula One’s ‘LEGO race’ – a procession featuring all 22 drivers to be staged on the Silverstone track 90 minutes ahead of lights out.
Speaking in a press conference yesterday, Hamilton called it the ‘most dangerous part of the weekend’, despite the brick cars only reaching 15mph. ‘I’m not going to do it,’ he said.
However, sources have told Daily Mail Sport that Hamilton’s real beef is that he and his fellow racers will not receive a fee for their high-profile involvement. Some of his peers are believed to share his reservations.
The single-seat LEGO minicars that will be used at Silverstone
Lewis Hamilton has refused to take part in a LEGO car parade – similar to that held at the Miami Grand Prix last year (pictured)
F1 bosses are nevertheless confident Hamilton will relent and take to his toy vehicle comprising 28,000 bricks, along with all 21 of his rivals.
Organisers spoke to Ferrari officials to impress on them the importance of their £100million-a-year star’s participation in front of a record 175,000 crowd.
A similar LEGO ‘race’ was held in Miami last year, though only one man per team drove in the two-seater car, in Ferrari’s case Charles Leclerc.
‘I let Charles do it last time and it was just hilarious watching everyone crashing into each other,’ said Hamilton. ‘I don’t know whether or not I will be in the LEGO car this year.’
Pressed as to why not, Hamilton replied: ‘There is not really much to say on that – it’s something I need to take offline.’
Hamilton, who has won his home race a record nine times, was keener to talk about the main event, saying: ‘My engineers have been asking me: “How did you do it? How do you normally run the car?” So, hopefully I can steer them in the right direction.
‘I am really not thinking about winning the trophy. It is about executing the best you can, bringing the right energy and absorbing the amazing buzz from the fans. As Nigel (Mansell) said, you get that extra bit of speed from them.’
