"I didn’t leave him enough space"- Lewis Hamilton unaffected by Fernando Alonso's 'idiot' remarks after accepting full blame for 2022 F1 Belgian GP crash

Lewis Hamilton took full blame for colliding with Fernando Alonso on the opening lap of the 2022 F1 Belgian GP. He also claimed to be unaffected by the Spaniard’s radio rant and felt it was said in the heat of the moment.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, the Briton said:

“No, looking back at the footage. He was in my blind spot and I didn’t leave him enough space, so it was my fault today, just so sorry to the team.”

The British champion believes he did not give Fernando Alonso space and tried overtaking him on the outside, which caused him to clip the Alpine's front left tire and fly across the track. While it was not a high-impact collision, the damage was enough to take Lewis Hamilton out of the race.

The onboard footage suggests Alonso left his former rival plenty of space. He then shot off a heated radio message during the race as he felt the incident compromised his race. The Spaniard ranted on his radio after the clash, saying:

“What an idiot! Closing the door from the outside. We had a mega start but this guy only knows how to drive and start in first.”

Commenting on Alonso’s radio rant, Hamilton said:

“It doesn’t really matter what he said. Like I said, it was my fault. I couldn’t see him actually. So he was like right in my blind spot.”

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Lewis Hamilton will not be speaking to Fernando Alonso about the crash

Commenting on Fernando Alonso’s radio rant after the crash, Lewis Hamilton believes that the heated moment could have made the Spaniard harsh with his words. He, however, admitted to the on-site print media that he won’t be speaking to the double champion about the crash after having heard the latter's radio message.

Asked about Alonso’s choice of words on the radio after the crash, the Briton said:

“I don’t really have a response to it. I know that how things feel in the heat of the moment, but it’s nice to know how he feels about me. And so I better it’s better that it’s out in the open how he feels. And like I said it wasn’t intentional. And I take responsibility for that’s what adults do. So it is what it is.”

On whether he would speak to the double champion after the race, Lewis Hamilton said:

“No, no, I mean, I would have until I heard what he said.”

The two have often been verbal sparring partners over the years, with a history of clashing with each other as teammates at McLaren in 2007. At the 2022 F1 Belgian GP, Hamilton started fourth on the grid, while Alonso started third. Without the opportunity to duel often in equal cars, a clash between the two in the feisty opening laps of the race was inevitable.