Formula 1 is considered by many to be the pinnacle of motorsport, and that is for a good reason. Cars are fast, and nerves run hotter than exhaust gasses. One situation where you have to keep said nerves under control is the start of races, especially the first lap.
Today’s race was not clean either. 7-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton made contact with two-times WDC winner Fernando Alonso in the Les Combes chicane of the Belgian GP.
It was just a racing incident as it can happen when the track is crowded and everybody is squabbling for position. The spice here comes from the Spaniard himself with not one but two digs at the accomplished Brit.
Right after the incident, the Alpine driver called Hamilton an "idiot" on team radio and said he can only drive and start well as long as he is in the first place. Now, this is no surprise for any F1 fan. During a race weekend, and especially when these kinds of incidents happen, there is a lot of adrenaline, meaning things slip the drivers’ tongues in the heat of the moment with no real intent.
Even so, this seemed a lot more personal. Well, that’s because it was. The two F1 World Champions have been teammates at McLaren and had a fierce rivalry. Over their time spent on the team, their relationship deteriorated to what some would call a point of hate. While that is debatable, there is certainly no love lost between them.
Regardless of what the feelings might be, Lewis took the gentlemanly approach and kept things on the up and up. During the post-race interview, he apologized for what happened and took responsibility for his mistake. However, Fernando was not so considerate. He did not outright insult the British driver, but when he said that these things can happen, he ended with a cheap shot. Alonso took the time to remind Hamilton about the eerily similar contact he made with his old Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.
It was just a racing incident as it can happen when the track is crowded and everybody is squabbling for position. The spice here comes from the Spaniard himself with not one but two digs at the accomplished Brit.
Right after the incident, the Alpine driver called Hamilton an "idiot" on team radio and said he can only drive and start well as long as he is in the first place. Now, this is no surprise for any F1 fan. During a race weekend, and especially when these kinds of incidents happen, there is a lot of adrenaline, meaning things slip the drivers’ tongues in the heat of the moment with no real intent.
Even so, this seemed a lot more personal. Well, that’s because it was. The two F1 World Champions have been teammates at McLaren and had a fierce rivalry. Over their time spent on the team, their relationship deteriorated to what some would call a point of hate. While that is debatable, there is certainly no love lost between them.
Regardless of what the feelings might be, Lewis took the gentlemanly approach and kept things on the up and up. During the post-race interview, he apologized for what happened and took responsibility for his mistake. However, Fernando was not so considerate. He did not outright insult the British driver, but when he said that these things can happen, he ended with a cheap shot. Alonso took the time to remind Hamilton about the eerily similar contact he made with his old Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.