“I didn’t leave Fernando Alonso enough space”: Lewis Hamilton takes blame for collision with 2-time World Champion on opening lap of Belgium GP

Lewis Hamilton admitted that his opening lap collision with Fernando Alonso at the Belgian GP was completely his own fault. 

F1 action returned after a three-week summer break and there was drama on the very first lap in Spa-Francorchamps. Due to grid penalties for Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, Alonso started Sunday’s race from P3, which gave him a great chance to get a fast start.

Alonso’s former teammate Hamilton started fourth, and the two dueled right from the get go. Sergio Perez, who started in P2 went off to a poor start. This allowed Hamilton and Alonso to overtake him pretty easily, and it was the Spaniard who got the upper hand initially.

The seven-time World Champion got slipstream off Alonso’s Alpine and tried to go around him while attempting an overtake. Unfortunately, Alonso’s front of the car made contact with his former McLaren teammate’s rear end. As a result, the latter’s W13 was launched into the air for a split second.

Hamilton was initially able to continue. However, it wasn’t long before his team asked him to stop, bringing his Belgian GP to an end.

Also read: “Lewis Hamilton only knows how to start from 1st” – Fernando Alonso ridicules 7-time world champion for crashing into him at Belgian GP

Lewis Hamilton had Fernando Alonso in his blind spot; admits mistake

Hamilton and Alonso shared a fierce rivalry back during their McLaren days.  They were so evenly matched that they finished level on points in their only F1 season together as teammates. Since then, we haven’t gotten a lot of chances to see the two duel.

Fans were expecting some great racing action between the two legends for a few laps in Spa before the incident took place. Initially, a few fans blamed Alonso for ramming into the back of the W13. After watching the replays, however, it was evident that the Brit turned to the right which limited Alonso’s space and options.

On top of that, Hamilton admitted it was his fault as soon as he returned to the paddock. Speaking to Sky Sports at Spa-Francorchamps, the 37-year-old said, “Looking back at the footage, he was in my blind spot. And I didn’t leave him enough space.”

Hamilton will look back on this race as a huge opportunity wasted. Alonso meanwhile, put in one of his best performances of the season. He finished P5 and earned 10 valuable Constructors’ Championship points for Alpine.

Also read: “We have respect for each other”– Esteban Ocon claims tensions with $5 Million per year earning driver are gone