“I Can’t Sign That”: Fan Request Forces Lewis Hamilton to Relive Painful Two-Year-Old Memory

A simple request for an autograph by a fan ended up re-opening an old wound for Lewis Hamilton. On his way into the Belgian GP paddock, a fan approached the Mercedes driver for an autograph. But, he wanted Hamilton’s signature on a photograph that showed his race-ending collision with Fernando Alonso from the 2022 Belgian GP.

F1 photojournalist Kym Illman highlighted this instance on his Instagram. The seven-time champion refused to sign on that particular pitcure, saying “I can’t sign that”.

 

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Hamilton’s collision with the Spaniard was a result of a chaotic first lap. They were starting alongside each other on the second row and set to fight it out for P2 down the Kemmel straight. When Hamilton tried to swoop around the outside of Alonso’s car at Les Combes, his rear tire made contact with the latter’s front.

This made the #44 Mercedes go airborne and land badly, thereby causing terminal damage to the car. Hamilton had to retire from the race and was seen walking in solitude alongside the track, after what had been a terrible half-a-season of struggles for him.

Given the way Hamilton collided with Alonso, the Spaniard was naturally going to feel angry, especially in view of their past history. He called his former McLaren teammate an “idiot” for trying to close the door from the outside, and a driver who “only knows how to drive starting first”.

Alonso apologises for “idiot” comment on team radio

Alonso admitted after the race that it was a comment in the heat of the moment and also apologized and made up with Hamilton the next weekend. He said,

“Nothing I said is true and there are facts that show the opposite. I have absolutely no problems with Lewis. I have huge respect for him”. 

Notwithstanding the apology, the Spaniard had been taking subtle digs at Hamilton’s dominance and how the majority of the Briton’s wins at Mercedes had come courtesy of their dominant car. In 2022, the Silver Arrows had lost that dominant advantage, which had left the British driver struggling until recently.

Fernando Alonso ve Lewis Hamilton’ın 2022 Spa’da yaşadığı temas pic.twitter.com/6Bl4Pl0kWR

— Sarı Bayrak (@saribayrak) July 25, 2023

The Spaniard stated that the broadcasters often put a lot of spotlight on such controversial remarks on the team radio. Even Sebastian Vettel agreed that Alonso did not intend to demean Hamilton.

“One, it’s an emotional reaction. If you are in that situation, you are worried first because you might have damage to the car and that might be the end of your race. We all do mistakes – even Fernando sometimes does mistakes.”