5 times Lewis Hamilton collided with his teammates

Qatar F1 GP Auto Racing
Lewis Hamilton at the Qatar F1 GP Auto Racing

Lewis Hamilton collided with his teammate George Russell at the 2023 F1 Qatar GP and ended up retiring from the race.

The Mercedes driver has often been considered a safe pair of hands when it comes to wheel-to-wheel action but having such competitive teammates all his career means there have been instances where the two drivers have fought for the same turf and one of the two has come up short.

Hamilton has been part of the sport since 2007 and even though he has kept his nose clean for the most part, there have been instances of him crashing with his teammates. In this feature, we will take a look at 5 such instances.


#1 Lewis Hamilton vs Jenson Button (2011 F1 Canadian GP)

The first time Lewis Hamilton crashed with his teammate was in the murky conditions of the 2011 F1 Canadian GP.

In extreme wet weather conditions, Hamilton tried to line up Jenson Button out of the final traction zone. Button oblivious to his teammate's presence took the usual racing line and that saw Hamilton's front right hit his left rear.

Hamilton also had an impact on the wall that ended his race completely, with Button ultimately winning the race.


#2 Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg (2014 F1 Belgian GP)

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are going to feature prominently on this list and the first crash between the duo happened in Spa in 2014.

Tensions were already high between the two drivers and it reached a fever pitch when the duo made contact. During the restart early in the race, Rosberg got a run on Hamilton out of Eau Rouge and was using the slipstream to gain ground on his teammate.

At the braking point, Hamilton took the inside line while Rosberg tried to go around the outside. As a result, the two drivers made contact.

Rosberg's front wing punctured Hamilton's rear tire and damaged his floor. The Brit ended up retiring from the race while Rosberg finished second.


#3 Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg (2016 F1 Spanish GP)

The next time the duo crashed was in 2016. At that time Lewis Hamilton had already won the title in 2014 and 2015.

Heading into the race in Barcelona, however, Hamilton was on the back foot. Nico Rosberg had been on a seven-race winning streak and had started the 2016 season impressively.

Both drivers started the race on the front row. Rosberg got the jump on Hamilton into the first corner but a misjudged power setting meant he was being lined up by his teammate.

In a bid to defend himself on the inside, Rosberg moved to the right which meant evasive action from Hamilton to the grass. The Brit spun his Mercedes on the grass and subsequently took Rosberg out with him as well.

It was a complete disaster for Mercedes as both drivers were out on the spot.


#4 Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg (2016 F1 Austrian GP)

The 2016 F1 season also saw another collision between the two drivers as on the last lap of the Austrian GP, Lewis Hamilton got a run on Nico Rosberg out of turn 1 and was lining him up for a pass into the braking point.

In what was a misjudgment by Rosberg, he would turn into his teammate leading to contact. The German damaged his front wing and dropped places while Hamilton ended up winning.


#5 Lewis Hamilton vs George Russell (2023 F1 Qatar GP)

The most recent one happened between Lewis Hamilton and his teammate George Russell in Qatar. The two started the race in P2 and P3, with Hamilton in P3 starting on the soft tire while Russell started on the hard tire.

At the start of the race, Russell was in the slipstream of polesitter Max Verstappen trying to find a way through but as soon as the top three drivers reached the first turn, Lewis Hamilton tried to make a move around the outside of both drivers.

Unfortunately, he ended up making contact with Russell and his car was beached in the gravel. While Russell was able to continue and score points, Hamilton retired on the spot.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar
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