Alonso says Hamilton “only knows how to drive when starting first.”

alonso blasts hamilton after first-lap incident at f1 belgian grand prix
JOHN THYSGetty Images

It was not a prosperous weekend for seven-time Formula 1 chamipion Lewis Hamilton in Belgium.

Hamilton held out hope of being within half a second of pole position, after Mercedes’ encouraging pre-summer form, but the W13 was miles off. Hamilton’s best third-qualifying-round lap was 1.8 seconds behind Max Verstappen’s one-and-done pacesetting time.

“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.”

alonso blasts hamilton after first-lap incident at f1 belgian grand prix

Fernando Alonso was not exactly happy with Lewis Hamilton after a first-lap incident at Spa on Sunday.

Dan Istitene – Formula 1Getty Images

Hamilton quipped that Mercedes has to “make sure the next car is not like this one at all,” in a bid to recover its title aspirations.

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.

Alonso was irate, radioing that Hamilton was an “idiot,” and suggesting the 103-time race winner “only knows how to drive when starting first.”

Stewards investigated the incident but rightly deemed no further action was necessary. Hamilton was nonetheless magnanimous about the situation.

“Looking back at the footage, Fernando was in my blind spot and I thought I left more room than I did, so it was my fault and I paid the price,” said Hamilton. “I’m just sorry for the team, we had a chance of P3 and P4 today.”

Wolf Not Happy, Either

George Russell went on to salvage fourth for Mercedes, having been within reach of Sainz, but Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was unhappy with the W13’s performance in Belgium.

“We really need to find out how we can improve our car because the gap is just too big,” said Wolff. “We’re giving the drivers a very difficult car to drive and it hasn’t got the pace on a single lap so we need to work ourselves out of this situation. It’s important we stay level-headed, keep our spirits up and don’t flip too much between elation and depression – this weekend is a low but in Hungary three weeks ago, we were thinking we will absolutely win a race, so we’ll never give up.”

Keyword: Alonso Blasts Hamilton After First-Lap Incident at F1 Belgian Grand Prix

CAR'S NEWS RELATED

Best cars for a 'Love Bug' remake

Tennessee’s Yard Art The Thorndyke Special The Hot Rod The Hippie Van Jim’s Lamborghini Growing up, it’s safe to say my absolute favorite movie was Disney’s “The Love Bug.” As a kid living in a world before Pixar’s “Cars,” it was pretty much the best car movie. I loved ...

View more: Best cars for a 'Love Bug' remake

Audi timing belt tensioner prompts Utah bomb squad visit

An aftermarket timing belt tensioner found in a Salt Lake City apartment prompted a visit from the bomb squad this week after it was mistaken for a potential explosive device. Police partially evacuated the apartment complex in which it was found “out of an abundance of caution” and called ...

View more: Audi timing belt tensioner prompts Utah bomb squad visit

2023 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 will get more expensive

GMC Sierra HD pickups are about to get more expensive again after recently becoming more expensive, according to GM Authority. In July, GMC and Buick raised the prices on certain vehicles in their lineups anywhere from $975 to $1,675 by making the previously optional OnStar a standard feature. Next ...

View more: 2023 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 will get more expensive

Our week with EVs: Recapping the diverse collection of electric cars we tested

Mercedes-Benz EQB First Drive Review: Next electric Benz is a little different 2022 Chevy Bolt EV Road Test Review: Time to play EV, gas or airplane 2023 Genesis GV60 Road Test Review: The third of Hyundai Group’s E-GMP EVs is the fastest, but softest It may be hard to ...

View more: Our week with EVs: Recapping the diverse collection of electric cars we tested

Europe car sales lowest since 1996 after 12-month decline

BERLIN – Europe registered the lowest number of new passenger cars in the month of June this year since 1996 at just over 1.06 million vehicles, with some carmakers seeing sales drop by nearly 50%, data from Europe’s automobile association showed on Friday. Volkswagen Group was the hardest-hit major ...

View more: Europe car sales lowest since 1996 after 12-month decline

More Than Just A Carmaker: Toyota Motor PH Launches Toyota Mobility Solutions

Automotive industry leader, Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation (TMP) inaugurated today Toyota Mobility Solutions Philippines, Inc. (TMSPH), a wholly owned subsidiary that will be a provider of mobility-related services. TMSPH ventures into the development and offering of a range of ‘new mobility solutions’ that will enhance Toyota as a brand ...

View more: More Than Just A Carmaker: Toyota Motor PH Launches Toyota Mobility Solutions

'F1 22' feels fast and familiar | Gaming Roundup

‘F1 22’ impressions ‘Construction Simulator’ is launching Sept. 20 Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. This week in racing game news: ‘F1 22’ impressions At its core, “F1 22,” the latest installment in the F1 ...

View more: 'F1 22' feels fast and familiar | Gaming Roundup

Watch a single-engine plane crash-land on 91 Freeway in California

A single-engine Piper Cherokee airplane was forced to crash land on the 91 Freeway in California after losing power about 45 minutes outside of Los Angeles. Yes, that means this was a very busy highway, practically bursting at the seams with traffic. No, amazingly nobody died, either in the ...

View more: Watch a single-engine plane crash-land on 91 Freeway in California

Ford files 'Mustang Dark Horse' trademark application

Make adventures more comfortable with high-quality Jeep grab handles

New Lucid Air variant to debut & Stealth Look to be on display during Monetary Car Week

Chevy offers incentives to prevent Corvette Z06 flipping

Average U.S. gas price falls below $4/gallon

German court: SUV driver must pay more than a car for running red light

Australian vehicle crash tests to include underwater performance

Toyota C-HR rumored to get revamp next year and an EV version

Geely's electric Zeekr 009 is an EV Alphard we never had; 700 km, 542 PS, top speed 190 km/h

A Newey, Brawn and Anderson row that shows F1 doesn’t change

Sorry, EV buyers, you won't get to pick your own pedestrian safety sounds

There won't be enough copper to meet climate goals, study indicates

OTHER CAR NEWS

; Tin công nghệ, điện thoại, máy tính, ô tô, phân khối lớn, xu hướng công nghệ cập nhật mới nhất