Lewis Hamilton did not finish the race and had to leave just in the first round of the Belgian Grand Prix. In an atypical starting grid -with the leading drivers starting from the last positions- that had Fernando Alonso starting from the third position (for the first time so far this year) and the Mercedes driver, from the fourth position. A fast and violent start, which ended with Max Verstappen as winner and with the rivalry Alonso-Hamilton, once more in the light.
The statements of Alonso following the incident were not in vain. “What an idiot! Closing the door from the outside! We had a mega start but this man only knows how to drive by going first”, exclaimed the Spanish driver following settling down in the race following the incident with Hamilton. But what happened?
The Alpine rider (who finished sixth in the race) came out strong and overtook Checo Pérez in the first meters, who started in second place. But behind Alonso was a hungry Hamilton looking to overtake the Alpine as soon as possible. Thus, was that the British driver latched onto the Alpine to try and overtake him once on the Eau Rouge Straight and the Raidillon. Perceiving this, Alonso tried to defend himself from the snatch and took the inside of Les Combes curve and there, with greater point, Hamilton already surpassed him by a wheel.
In that instant, Hamilton took advantage of the fact that he was in front of the Spaniard and closed him to the right, forcing him to brake. But, Alonso chose to maintain his inner line and thus both touched. The result: Hamilton was catapulted up, and Alonso was able to continue without problems.
Hamilton’s retirement was imminent as his car broke down and he was unable to continue. Once the race started and the moment passed, the British driver gave his point of view regarding what happened. “What happened today was my fault, I apologize to my team. Alonso positioned himself in my blind spot and I didn’t see him. I should have left him more space in that maneuver”, pointed out the six-time world champion.
Alonso was furious at what happened and did not like what happened, it seemed to bring back past confrontations with the British. They both know each other very well. Since 2007, when the Spaniard was going through his sixth season in Formula 1 and Hamilton, at the age of 22, was making his debut, the friction between the two began. The British driver ended up being a tough rival in Alonso’s aspirations for the title that year, generating a tension that increased and ended with both without the title.
They had confrontations like the Spygate, the intersection at the Monaco GP or the remembered 2008 Brazilian GP. “I think it is difficult to say who has necessarily been the strongest rival, because every time you fight someone you are in a different place from your life ”, Hamilton analyzed a few years ago, to the Motor.es medium.
