Mercedes F1 said that it is prepared to accept "some collateral damage" from driver Lewis Hamilton following his "controversial" behavior in Japan, according to Andrew Benson of the BBC. Hamilton refused to answer questions in his post-qualifying news conference on Saturday, accusing the media of being "disrespectful" and then walking out. It was "in response to some reports of his behaviour in an earlier conference." Mercedes Motorsport Dir Toto Wolff said, "Let him do his talking on the track. His performances in the car justify some collateral damage." The controversy started with a news conference on Thursday, in which Hamilton "posted images of himself and fellow driver Carlos Sainz on Snapchat with 'bunny faces' and gave minimal answers." Some insiders believe Hamilton's behavior "is a response to the pressure he is feeling in the championship" (BBC, 10/9). REUTERS' Abhishek Takle reported Hamilton "cut a distracted figure in Thursday's mandatory news conference." The 31-year-old "spent much of the time on his phone uploading amusing pictures created of his fellow drivers seated around him using Snapchat filters, drawing heavy criticism from journalists on social media." Hamilton: "The other day was a super-lighthearted thing, and ... if you felt that I was disrespectful, it was honestly not the intention. But what was more disrespectful was what was then written worldwide. I don’t really plan on sitting here many more times for these kind of things so my apologies" (REUTERS, 10/8).
