When told of his comments, Mercedes stressed that they had a dozen nationalities represented within the team. Liberty Media, F1's owners, declined to comment, and it seemed unlikely that they would persuade Hamilton to rein in his outspoken nature any time soon.
Hamilton explained last year how he felt that he had been a force for progress for F1.
"People come up to me from different ethnic backgrounds," he said. "I have Asian families, black families, Mexican families come up and saying, 'My kid wants to be you one day', and I can assure you that when I started racing, there weren't people from those places. I take great pride in that, like Venus and Serena Williams, like Tiger Woods, who really broke a mould and knocked down barriers for others."
Lewis Hamilton is troubled by the lack of diversity in F1.
Photo: AAP
In his first appearance of 2018 alongside Vettel, Hamilton was quick to break the ice, shaking the German's hand.
He did not extend the same treatment, though, to former Mercedes teammate-turned-pundit Nico Rosberg, who recently suggested his main weakness was inconsistency.
Hamilton, having won the 2017 world title with five victories in six races after the summer break, regarded that verdict with thinly veiled contempt. "I think I proved that's not the case last year," he said.
Vettel, for his part, is yet to detect susceptibilities in Hamilton's armour. "There aren't many," he acknowledged, smiling.
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Both quadruple world champions, chasing Juan Manuel Fangio's total of five titles – and perhaps, eventually, Michael Schumacher's seven – disputed suggestions that they had reached their peak. Hamilton is poised to sign a three-year contract extension at Mercedes worth an estimated £120 million ($220 million).
While Mercedes have been widely tipped to enjoy another dominant campaign, Hamilton was wary.
"There is a lot of hype around our team," he said, "but I find it difficult to take much notice."
Telegraph, London
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