Alonso says Hamilton “only knows how to drive when starting first.”
It was not a prosperous weekend for seven-time Formula 1 chamipion Lewis Hamilton in Belgium.
“I never, ever thought that we’d be two seconds off,” said Hamilton. “It’s way, way worse than I thought. It hurts, believe me it hurts, but at this point you’ve got to laugh it off and just say I’m not fighting for a championship. If I get too serious and too low, I’ve got a responsibility to try and keep morale high. You’ve got to keep pushing, you can’t be discouraged. Yes it sucks and it’s slow.
Hamilton’s subsequent race was short-lived. He challenged Fernando Alonso for second early at turn 7 of the opening lap but the pair collided, tipping Hamilton’s car skywards, and causing terminal damage. It ended Hamilton’s streak of finishing every race in 2022. Stewards investigated the incident but rightly deemed no further action was necessary. Hamilton was nonetheless magnanimous about the situation.