Lewis Hamilton warned by F1 stewards for refusing medical aid after Belgian GP crash
Lewis Hamilton has received a post-race warning from the Belgian Grand Prix stewards following his first lap collision with Fernando Alonso which ruined the Mercedes driver's afternoon. Hamilton was given acres of space around the outside of Les Combes but still managed to make contact with Alonso, the resulting damage preventing him from continuing in a hammer blow for the Silver Arrows.
The 37-year-old was ordered to the medical center immediately after the crash for precautionary checks after his Mercedes car bounced through the air before crashing back onto the track. However, he did not obey and received a warning for his reluctance to comply with the order, as revealed by Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft.
>"He actually got a warning for refusing to go to the medical center," Croft said. "The bounce in the air and the return to the ground triggered a warning light in the cockpit. He did not go to the medical center and he received a warning from the stewards for this."
The first lap crash capped a nightmarish weekend for Hamilton and Mercedes, who were well adrift of the pace leaders for the duration of the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. The seven-time champion accepted full responsibility for the incident when quizzed on what happened in the final stages of the race before insisting he was not worried about the point of Alonso's view of the collision, with the Spaniard angrily calling him an idiot. via team radio.
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“Looking at my footage, he was in my blind spot,” Hamilton explained. "I didn't give him enough space. It was my fault today. I'm really sorry for the team.
"It doesn't matter that he [Alonso] said that. I don't care. It was my fault, I couldn't actually see him. He was just in my blind spot. back on the treadmill."
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Meanwhile, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff hinted after the race that he felt sorry for Hamilton, with the latter's early collision only triggering the fifth retirement in the first turn of his entire career.
"He came in and said he squeezed it, it's hard in the car to really see," Wolff added. "It's just the reality. The car is hard to drive and doesn't have the pace over a single lap. We have to get out of this.
"It hasn't been great for us all weekend, a track where we should be more competitive. We must not oscillate between depression and mania."
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Lewis Hamilton has received a post-race warning from the Belgian Grand Prix stewards following his first lap collision with Fernando Alonso which ruined the Mercedes driver's afternoon. Hamilton was given acres of space around the outside of Les Combes but still managed to make contact with Alonso, the resulting damage preventing him from continuing in a hammer blow for the Silver Arrows.
The 37-year-old was ordered to the medical center immediately after the crash for precautionary checks after his Mercedes car bounced through the air before crashing back onto the track. However, he did not obey and received a warning for his reluctance to comply with the order, as revealed by Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft.
>"He actually got a warning for refusing to go to the medical center," Croft said. "The bounce in the air and the return to the ground triggered a warning light in the cockpit. He did not go to the medical center and he received a warning from the stewards for this."
The first lap crash capped a nightmarish weekend for Hamilton and Mercedes, who were well adrift of the pace leaders for the duration of the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. The seven-time champion accepted full responsibility for the incident when quizzed on what happened in the final stages of the race before insisting he was not worried about the point of Alonso's view of the collision, with the Spaniard angrily calling him an idiot. via team radio.
JUST IN: Toto Wolff told Lewis Hamilton to 'compromise' after brutal beating
“Looking at my footage, he was in my blind spot,” Hamilton explained. "I didn't give him enough space. It was my fault today. I'm really sorry for the team.
"It doesn't matter that he [Alonso] said that. I don't care. It was my fault, I couldn't actually see him. He was just in my blind spot. back on the treadmill."
NOT TO MISS
Max Verstappen's four-word reaction to Lewis Hamilton's accident replay
FIA helps Verstappen extend title advantage as Leclerc takes penalty
Ricciardo's crushing admission on his F1 career: 'It sucks'
Meanwhile, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff hinted after the race that he felt sorry for Hamilton, with the latter's early collision only triggering the fifth retirement in the first turn of his entire career.
"He came in and said he squeezed it, it's hard in the car to really see," Wolff added. "It's just the reality. The car is hard to drive and doesn't have the pace over a single lap. We have to get out of this.
"It hasn't been great for us all weekend, a track where we should be more competitive. We must not oscillate between depression and mania."
Follow our new Express Sport page on Instagram
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