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F1 champion Lewis Hamilton clarifies ‘poor India’ comment

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F1 champion Lewis Hamilton clarifies ‘poor India’ comment

Five-time Formula One champion and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton clarified his ‘India poor place’ comment on Thursday stating that huge amount of money could have been spent on building homes and schools rather than a Formula One track.

His statement of clarification came after his controversial remarks during an interview where he had called India “a poor place” and even said that he felt conflicted when he came to race in the Indian Grand Prix. Indian fans did not take Hamilton’s comments well as the Mercedes driver received flak from all corners.

In a clarification on Twitter, Hamilton wrote, “I noticed some people are upset with my comment on India. “My reference was that a grand prix there felt strange to drive past homeless people, then arrive in a huge arena where money was not an issue. They spent hundreds of millions on a track that was now never used and that money could have been spent on schools or homes. When we did have the race nobody came because it was too expensive or there was no interest.”

India had spent an estimated amount of $400 million in a bid to host a Formula One season in the country which included the cost of building a brand new track and a 120,000-seat arena in the year 2011.

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While speaking to BBC Sport earlier, Hamilton had told, “I’ve been to Vietnam before and it is beautiful. I’ve been to India before to a race which was strange because India was such a poor place yet we had this massive, beautiful grand prix track made in the middle of nowhere. I felt very conflicted when I went to that grand prix.”

Hamilton questioned the strategy of taking Formula One to places like India, Korea and Turkey where the sport did not survive for long.

Vietnam is another country which doesn’t have rich motorsport history but will be hosting a Formula One race in 2020.

Mercedes driver said he would like more grands prix in places with “real racing history” such as Europe and the United States.

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