Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has called on the media to give Lewis Hamilton a break, after his star driver was involved in a road-car accident at 3:30am on Tuesday morning.
Hamilton suffered no injuries in the minor accident but damaged his Pagani Zonda supercar in the collision. He later admitted a week of partying had left him tired ahead of the accident, but Wolff says Mercedes has no plans to intervene in Hamilton's private life.
"My main view is give the boy a break," he told the Sun. "He is the world champion. He has won races. It has been one of the most dominate seasons we have ever seen. He has done it all. Let him enjoy it.
"For me and the team, one thing is fundamental; that the drivers deliver the results. So long as they score the results and continue to driver then the situation is perfectly good for us. Lewis won the world championship two weeks ago, his second in a row and his third, he has had a dominant season.
"At the moment, he is the best driver in the paddock. He is not just the best driver because of his talent but because he knows what is good for him and what isn't. Sometimes you have to stretch the limit and probably now we are at the point where he will recalibrate in some way.
"But it is perfectly reasonable that we give him that space, and even more if you consider he has just become the world champion. If the title was not already decided, he would not be out there at three in the morning if it was a different situation in the championship."
Wolff said Hamilton's private life, which the Mercedes driver chooses to share via social media, is part of what makes his driver a superstar.
"Formula One needs characters. Lewis is a rockstar racing driver and he does not only deliver in a car, he delivers for the brand in his life outside of the track. That life certainly creates controversy, but it also makes him a personality with edges.
"Just because many people out there judge that lifestyle to be detrimental to a racing drivers' career, it doesn't bother me at all because he delivers. If somebody is without fault. Very corporate. Very polished with no edges, his personality will not be as big and therefore not as good for the brand.
"If you have a great personality, there are going to be people who love you and those who hate you. You will cause controversy and this makes you. That is secondary for me. The primary objective is to deliver in the race car. This is why he is where he is."