Hamilton makes a name for himself with antoher gaffe

British Formula One driver fumbled over his words on saturday in Malaysia and then comes a year after Hamilton, in one of his first drives for Mercedes since leaving McLaren, mistakenly pitted at the garage of his old team.

British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes surrounded by reporters at the paddock at the end of the second practice session ahead of the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on March 28 2014. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL

KUALA LUMPUR // Before he won the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton had another difficult moment in Malaysia on Saturday when he fumbled for the name of Jim Clark while trying to show his respect for the British great.

Last year in Malaysia, Hamilton was left red-faced when, in one of his first drives for Mercedes since leaving McLaren, he mistakenly pitted at the garage of his old team.

On Saturday, Hamilton mistakenly called Clark “James”, before quickly recovering. He was speaking after equalling the two-time world champion’s British record of 33 pole positions.

“I’m very, very proud to be representing the UK and to be among the names like Nigel Mansell and James Hunt, James Clark – sorry, Jim Clark – is really, really a real honour to be there,” Hamilton said.

However, Hamilton can claim mitigating circumstances as Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg were chatting loudly across him as he tried to address the post-qualifying news conference.

“Hey guys, I can’t even hear myself talk,” he had complained just seconds earlier.

Footage of Hamilton's 2013 pit-stop gaffe drew laughs at the time and has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times online. Click HERE to see the video.

* Agence France-Presse