The contact between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso had ingredients for much worse.
Lewis Hamilton’s race ended in the opening round of the Belgian GP. PDO
On television screens, it looked like a small bomb.
Lewis Hamilton was getting greedy Fernando Alonso over in the opening round of the Belgian GP, when the track simply ran out of steam.
The cars collided, and the Hamilton Mercedes climbed on top of the Spanish driver’s Alpine, then fell with force down to the ground. Britti had to stop immediately after the incident, and initially he would not have even wanted to go to the track’s medical center to check his condition.
When the jury threatened to punish Hamilton for snubbing, he also understood his own best.
Now Mercedes-AMG has confirmed that the precaution was in place.
– It was a really hard blow. We measured it to have been worth 45G, which vertically is very large, chief strategist James Vowles said in the team’s press release.
– Lewis is fine, and he will fight in Zandvoort (next weekend). But he was frustrated because he had chances for a podium finish.
The impact broke Mersu’s radiator, and the engine heat rose to the ceiling immediately after. Because of that, the team ordered Hamilton to stop.
But not all the damage has necessarily appeared yet.
– Naturally, the shock absorbers and gearbox were put to the test. We now need to make sure we fully understand the extent of the damage before Zandvoort.
Hamilton received a completely new power unit from Spaha. If it had been damaged beyond use, the British driver would have to suffer a grid penalty in turn.
See a summary of the events of the Belgian GP. F1 broadcasts can be watched on VSport’s channels and Viaplay’s service.