Fame and public scrutiny often go hand-in-hand. The more successful and famous you are, the more eyes follow you all the time. That makes Lewis Hamilton a big talking point in the Formula 1 community because he is statistically one of the most successful drivers of all time. And his decision to quit Mercedes after 2024 in favor of Ferrari has probably attracted more attention to him than ever. But the recent negative comments from Peter Windsor on Hamilton have landed the former Ferrari boss in some hot waters with the fans.

In a recent live chat on his YouTube channel, Windsor questioned Ferrari’s rationale for replacing Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton. Especially after all the stunning performances the Spanish driver has delivered in this season so far. Sainz has so far participated in 3 out of the 4 races and scored a podium in all of them including a win in Australia.

What adds to the drama is the fact that Lewis Hamilton has had the worst start to a Formula 1 season this year. And that has inadvertently prompted F1 pundits to wonder if Ferrari made the right call by bringing him in place of Carlos Sainz. “I think the decision to replace Carlos Sainz with Lewis is a strange one, to be honest,“ said Peter. “Because Charles and Carlos, I’ve always thought was a pretty good team in terms of they’re very different in personality, they’re different in skill-sets, they’re pretty equal in terms of what they produce.”

“It’s a bit like having a nice watch that works well and never lets you down and then you get a raise at work and you think ‘I am gonna go and buy a better watch’… I think it’s the wrong reason to do it because I don’t see what Lewis is going to bring to Ferrari, I can see what Ferrari is going to give to Lewis, absolutely. But from Ferrari’s point of view what is it going to bring them that don’t have already, that’s what I didn’t get,” he added.

It’s worth noting that Windsor has always had a lot of respect for Lewis Hamilton and what he has achieved in the sport. However, little did he know that his comments would attract so much negative attention.

Lewis Hamilton fans take out their frustration on social media

When a fan posted Windsor’s comments on X, the Lewis Hamilton army took to the comments section to express their disbelief and anger. The post read, “The disrespect Lewis gets from people in this sport is crazy. Lewis is nothing but humble and kind, and supportive of everyone in the sport. Not to mention he has proven his worth countless times. It’s so sad to see.”

One fan got into the psychology of Windsor’s comments, saying that maybe people like him are just jealous of Lewis’s talent. When they see someone like Lewis dominating the sport, it hits them hard because they couldn’t even dream of being at that level.

Another fan chimed in and said that people tend to forget what Lewis is capable of. Fans are confident that Lewis will prove all the doubters wrong again like he has done so many times in the past.

There was one who expressed his frustration with how Lewis is constantly disrespected, and that it’s a shame to not acknowledge what he’s achieved in the sport.

One fan commented about loyalty. They reminded Windsor that a lot of his fans are probably Lewis’s fans too. So, if Windsor keeps putting Lewis down, he might lose some subscribers. They said, “Hey, Windsor, don’t forget who got you here!”

Do you think Ferrari made the right call by letting go of Carlos Sainz in favor of Lewis Hamilton? What are your thoughts on Windsor’s comments? Let us know in the comments.