Spa-Francorchamps is a location in France. Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso avoided a prolonged war of words on Monday after their heated collision at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Mercedes’ seven-time world champion and his one-time McLaren teammate collided on the opening lap, forcing Hamilton to retire when he flew over his competitor’s Alpine vehicle.
In anger, the veteran Spaniard referred to the British driver as “an fool.”
Hamilton addressed the incident on social networking sites, writing: “I would like to begin by apologizing to my fans, especially those who came out to support me.
“After nearly 30 years of racing, a mistake still leaves a wound as deep as the first.
Alonso, 41, was also more collected in his post-race statements and distanced himself from the impact of his initial outburst over team radio, in which he said, “What an idiot!” The door is being shut from the outside.
We had a tremendous start, but this driver only knows how to drive in first gear.
Hamilton acknowledged full responsibility for the accident, but was visibly angered by Alonso’s immediate rage.
He said he planned to speak with the Spaniard until he was interrupted “His words were heard. It’s wonderful to know how he feels about me, even if I understand how things may feel in the moment “.
Alonso admitted “I was enraged, adding, “On the radio, when you speak, you communicate with your engineer and your crew.”
Will not cease pushing
“It is unfortunate that sometimes everything gets broadcasted, because if it is broadcasted, it is what you say today and how you behave in the media right now.
Typically, when you speak on the radio, you are only communicating with your team.
“I was certainly frustrated there,” he continued.
“Unfortunately, I felt this way whenever we began in the first couple of rows of the grid.
“However, it was an ordinary affair, and Lewis was forced to retire his car afterward.”
On the second lap of the race, Alonso was observed waving his finger at Hamilton before settling down to finish sixth.
Since falling out when teammates at McLaren in 2007, Hamilton’s rookie year, the two have had an eventful history. After completing one year of a three-year contract, Alonso quit the team.
The accident concluded a poor weekend for the 37-year-old Hamilton, who qualified 1.8 seconds behind world champion Max Verstappen, who won the race from 14th on the starting grid after receiving a penalty.
“We’re not where we want to be,” admitted the British driver, who had yet to earn his first victory of the season.
“But we will continue to push until we reach the place where we feel we belong. Sometimes this is life, it happens, but what matters is how we get back up.
“I will work as hard as possible to return stronger.”
Alonso also enjoyed making fun of Ferrari, with whom he faced strategic failures, most notably in 2010, when he was attempting to win his third drivers’ championship.
When asked if he was surprised by the Italian team’s peculiar strategy in Belgium, which saw Charles Leclerc finish sixth, he said that he was not.
“No, not really. Ferrari has been acting peculiarly, and this was just another peculiar act.”
AFP