Lewis Hamilton accepted the blame for his opening-lap crash at Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix which ended his race prematurely.
Hamilton had been trying to force his way past team-mate George Russell and polesitter Max Verstappen, but in attempting to go around the outside, he misjudged the space and clipped the left-front tyre of Russell’s Mercedes with his right rear.
It caused both drivers to spin off the track and brought an end to Hamilton’s race, while Russell managed to claw his way back from last place to finish fourth.
Russell reacted angrily over the team radio and, in the aftermath, Hamilton was quick to apologise. He said: “I am happy to take responsibility because that is my role. I need to go back and look at it, but I don’t feel like it was George’s fault.”
After watching the footage, he added: “It was 100 per cent my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to George.”
Both drivers said the incident would have no impact on their relationship.
“I appreciate him apologising,” said Russell. “In every incident, it involves two people. Of course, frustrated, because it was a missed opportunity for us.
“We have one goal, to finish second in the constructors’ championship. We had a lot of discussions this morning about how we would work together. The fight wasn’t with each other, the fight is with Ferrari.”
Hamilton avoided any reprimand for the crash but was fined €50,000 (£43,000) — €25,000 (£21,500) of it suspended — after walking across the track on his return to the pitlane following the coming together.
Verstappen’s dominance continued with his 14th victory from 17 races this season after securing his third straight world title on Saturday. Oscar Piastri finished second ahead of his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.
Fiercely hot conditions proved difficult for the drivers. Logan Sargeant suffered with dehydration, while Esteban Ocon was sick in his helmet during the race. A host of drivers needed medical treatment after the race, with Lance Stroll revealing he had been losing consciousness in his car.
“They painted the kerbs and made the track narrow so you can’t even feel the kerbs,” he said. “But you can’t see where you’re going because you’re passing out.”
Russell said he had come close to fainting, while Norris was critical of the race going ahead in such conditions.
