07 October 2023 , 07:48
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Lewis Hamilton has clarified his stance on Andretti Global's bid to join Formula 1 after being quizzed before this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion has previously indicated his support of the American outfit's bid to become the 11th team on the grid - a stance that he acknowledged some within the sport "wouldn't be happy" with.
He told reporters earlier this week: "I think it's great. I think in F1 I've always felt that there weren't enough cars on the grid. There will definitely be people that won't be happy for me to be so supportive of it! But I think it's great.
"It's an opportunity for more jobs, there's another two seats available for a potential female driver to come through. It opens up more possibilities, and I think it'll be more exciting for the race."
However, the Mercedes driver took the opportunity to clarify his comments on Friday after making it clear on social media that he was supportive of more competition arriving on the grid, rather than Andretti specifically.
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Speaking in Qatar, Hamilton said of the Andretti bid: "Yeah, well firstly, it wasn't that I support Andretti. I think from a driver's perspective, it's exciting to potentially see more cars. And then the idea of an 11th team, we have over 2,000 people in our team, so that's a huge amount of jobs.
"We have to make sure that the criteria, which is quite strict, is really respected. I feel like we need to amend the criteria actually, and make sure that there's an opportunity for real impact, making sure that if there is a new team, they have to be diverse. They have to, you know, perhaps create an opportunity for a female driver to come through. And it has to be diverse from the top down.
"At the moment, it's all white owners, and there's a real lack of diversity from the top down. It's all male. And that needs to change. That's my thought."
Hamilton went on to throw his support behind F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who will have a big say in making the decision. Several other bids have been turned down by the FIA, leaving Andretti in pole position, but it remains to be seen when - or if - their proposal will become a reality.
Hamilton added: "I really do have 100% faith in Stefano. I've known him for a long, long time. I think what he's doing at the top, there's no-one that could do a better job than him. I know that he will make the right decision moving forward.
"He's a racer and he's passionate about the growth of the sport. I'm happy to leave it in his capable hands."