Mercedes technical director reveals he called Lewis Hamilton a ‘f***er’ in their first meeting, prompting the F1 champion to complain

MERCEDES technical director James Allison has revealed how he blundered in his first meeting with Lewis Hamilton – by calling him a "f***er".

The world champion was so stunned by the design whizz's words he complained to team boss Toto Wolff about it.

But the two, who started working together in early 2017, had a heart to heart in the canteen at the team's HQ in Brackley, Northants.

And Allison said he was stunned by the five-time world champion's humility after offering his condolences following the death of his wife, Rebecca, to meningitis.

Allison said: "My introduction to Lewis was unusual to say the least but it was revealing and important on the bearing of our relationship ever since.

"It was at the winter tests of 2017 and we were introduced in the morning and shook hands.

"We'd gone off to do our own thing and we bumped into each other before midday and he walked over to me just to be friendly.

"Just before that, he'd had an off at Turn Four and I thought I knew the form and say 'that was massive' and 'wow' but equally I did not want my first interaction to be a fawning one.

"So I rather unwisely said 'I did see it and the thing what amazes me about you f***ers is you come back for more of it the next lap!'

"In my mind that was a way of acknowledging that they are unusual people.

Well, probably just don't call them f***ers!

"That they do a dangerous thing and immediately put it out of their heads, but I didn't want to say it in a way that 'you are so cool'.

"But Lewis's face fell. He looked surprised at me and turned on his heels and went off in the opposite direction and I thought, 'OK, he's not getting me".

"Later in the day, Toto came up to me and said, 'James, Lewis said you were a bit rude to him earlier', I said I was not rude but I was ill-judged.

"I told him I would put it right and the first time we did come across each other was back at the factory and we went for a coffee in the canteen.

"I explained where I was coming from and said don't worry, I won't do it again, but he said don't fret.

"He also told me he was sorry about my wife, who had died six or eight months earlier and it caught me by surprise. It is not what you expect from an F1 driver.

"He took the conversation on and said that he hoped I found some  way of living with it, and in good time I will find happiness again.

"That was a lovely thing to say. I said 'I hope so too, but that happy future would involve me talking to a girl and I am absolutely rubbish at that'.

"Lewis looked at me and smiled and said, 'well, probably just don't call them f***ers!'"

MEANWHILE, British driver Callum Ilott will be handed his first test in a Formula One car.

The 20-year-old from Cambridge, who is a member of the Ferrari academy, will drive for Alfa Romeo on Tuesday in Barcelona.

Ilott is in the F1 feeder series, Formula Two alongside Mick Schumacher, who is also part of the Ferrari academy and tested for Alfa Romeo earlier in the year.

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