Lewis Hamilton has accepted the blame for the clash with Fernando Alonso which forced the Mercedes driver to retire from the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.
The pair came together at Les Combes on the opening lap, the Hamilton launched after wheel-to-wheel contact.
Alonso held the inside line heading into the right-hander at the end of the Kemmel Straight, Hamilton crowding him on the apex before they made contact.
That sent them off the road, missing the apex of the left-hander which followed, allowing Sergio Perez to pass the pair of them in the process.
Hamilton’s car suffered terminal damage in the clash, a displeased Alonso carried on.
“What an idiot! Closing the door from the outside,” the two-time world champion said over the radio.
“We had a great start but this guy only knows how to drive and start in first.”
Hamilton carried on racing in the immediate aftermath of the clash only to be told half a lap later to pull off the circuit.
He did so on the approach to Blanchimont before climbing out and trudging back to the paddock where he faced the press.
“Looking back at the footage, he was in my blind spot and I didn’t leave him enough space so it was my fault today,” Hamilton said.
“Just sorry for the team.”
Asked about Alonso’s comments over team radio, he responded: “Doesn’t really matter what he said. Like I said, it was my fault.”
Officials investigated the clash and deemed no further action was necessary.
“The Stewards reviewed the video evidence and determined that Alonso was on the inside at turn five,” they noted.
“Hamilton’s front wheels were ahead of Alonso’s at the entry to the corner.
“Alonso moved his car off line to the inside with both right side tyres fully on the kerb and even somewhat inside the kerb. At no point did Alonso appear to lose control or understeer.
“Hamilton turned into towards the apex of the corner with Alonso still along side (sic) and the collision occurred.
“The Stewards considered that this was a first lap incident with a lot of movement relative to other cars in the first few corners, and thus take no further action.”
While Hamilton escaped punishment for the incident itself, he did pick up a warning after refusing to visit the medical centre following his retirement.
“The Stewards received a report from the Race Director that driver Hamilton refused to visit the Event Medical Service following his crash on Lap 1 where the Medical Warning Light threshold was exceeded and only did so after the Race Director informed the team that further action could be taken if he did not,” stewards noted in a separate report.
“This is not the first time this season that drivers (not Hamilton) have initially refused to go for a medical check. The Stewards issue a warning in this case, with a reminder to all drivers that stronger action may be taken in the future.”
Alonso ultimately crossed the line sixth, which became fifth when a post-race penalty was applied to Charles Leclerc for speeding in pit lane, picking up 10 points for his efforts.
Alpine remains fourth in the constructors’ championship, now 20 points clear of McLaren in fourth but more than 200 down on third-placed Mercedes.
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