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Over the years, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has had several crashes to his name. While usually, one doesn't expect him to make the slightest of mistakes, he can go off-beat at times. These crashes, though, also come in the form of his intense rivalry with his competitors, where neither Hamilton yields nor them.
The 2021 season was a shocker for Hamilton, especially in terms of crashes. The Knight lost his world title to a much younger competitor, Max Verstappen, which was very controversial. Ever since Nico Rosberg, this was the most intense rivalry he has faced in a long while, contacting thrice with Verstappen's car in just one year.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, this has been a cool-down year for Hamilton, who wasn't involved in as much intense drama as he was in 2021 and the Rosberg pairing seasons. He, however, couldn't escape a slight spectacle this time either as there was one more crash that made us all nostalgic for the old days.
Let's find out what are the other times that Lewis Hamilton simply lost control of his car and crashed out of a race.
#5 2012 F1 Belgium GP
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is not a place for Lewis Hamilton. It's not his lucky destination with the number of times he has left the track disappointed. 2012, however, was not his mistake when Romain Grosjean's Lotus came out of nowhere, leaving the Briton no space and colliding with him on the opening lap.
Lewis Hamilton could not control his car, crashing into a tangled Grosjean first, and roping in several other cars with him. Shockingly, the impact was so large that Fernando Alonso could have had a serious head injury if not for the updated safety in F1 cars.
# 4 When the Nurburgring took away Hamilton's pole chances in 2007
To begin with, firstly, the Nurburgring is no place for the faint-hearted. This is the same place that saw Niki Lauda's Ferrari burst into flames, leaving him on a hospital bed for months. The track is incredibly dangerous with crashes, not something one would hope for in their wildest of dreams.
Cut to 2007, a rookie Lewis Hamilton reached Q3 with his McLaren and was on a flying lap when he had a tire blowout out of nowhere. He went flying across the track, hitting the walls violently. The driver must've been in pain and kept running his legs to check if they were working fine or not. This was definitely a big shunt for the young driver.
#3 When Lewis Hamilton crashed into rival Nico Rosberg
Who could forget the classic Nico Rosberg vs Lewis Hamilton rivalry? Their chemistry, or rather their lack of it, was so profound that the Mercedes camp was divided into two teams. Despite being a constructor winner for consecutive years, the team's negative atmosphere was up for everyone to see.
Often clashing and pushing each other off the track, Hamilton and Rosberg showed each other no mercy. As a result, during the 2016 F1 Spanish GP, while Rosberg led, Hamilton did not hold back. In his pursuit to overtake, he went off onto the grass, spun, and roped in his Mercedes counterpart into the gravel, taking both the cars out of the race.
This was inevitable given both the drivers had an unmatchable hunger to win against each other. Hamilton, though, realized his mistake and had his hands on his helmet as soon as he realized what had happened.
#2 The Max Verstappen-Lewis Hamilton saga
2021 was one of the most dramatic F1 seasons of all time. The championship went on till the very end, leaving the sport divided between Verstappen and Hamilton. It also took the sport's buzz to another level, but the top two made for a big part of it thanks to their intense rivalry.
This, however, was a life-threatening crash for Hamilton again, who found himself under Verstappen's heavy machinery. This happened during the Monza race where in order to stay ahead, none of them yielded to each other in the very first chicane. The sausage kerb made itself known to Verstappen's Red Bull, sending him on top of Hamilton's Mercedes.
#1 Hamilton did not leave space for Alonso at 2022 F1 Belgian GP
Lewis Hamilton has had quite a few crashes at Spa. This one, however, has to be at the top of the list due to the drama it produced. Let's say Alonso did not hold back his words when Hamilton's Mercedes made contact with his Alpine. It was a Lap 1 drama where the Knight was purely at fault.
As a result of not 'leaving the space', he gobbled over the Alpine, went off the track, and damaged his floor while the car was thrown down. While the champion thought he could keep going, white fumes arose soon enough and ended his race.
These were some of the best and most dramatic crashes that Hamilton has faced in his time at F1. During his tenure (ongoing) in the sport, he has had his fair share of rivalry, arguments, and crashes. While sometimes the 'Billion Dollar Man' was at fault, others had his compatriots just lose control and catch him in.
