Fernando Alonso apologized to Lewis Hamilton for the “idiot” comments following their accident at the Belgian GP.
Alonso and Hamilton tangled up on the opening lap of the Belgian GP. Hamilton’s car went airborne after the contact and hit the ground with a 45G impact. The Briton retired from the race, while Alonso finished 5th.
The Alpine driver was not happy with Hamilton’s actions and called him an “idiot” on the radio. Ahead of the Dutch GP, Alonso apologized for his comments but at the same time noted the reaction of the media to his words.
“First of all, Lewis is a champion, he’s a legend of our time,” he said.
“And then when you say something – and I’m sorry to repeat this – against a British driver, there is huge media involvement after that. They’ve been saying a lot of things to Checo [Perez], to Carlos [Sainz], to me.
“If you say something to a Latin driver, everything’s a little bit more fun. When you say something to others, it’s a little bit more serious.
“But anyway yes, I apologize. I was not thinking what I said.
“I don’t think that there was much to blame in that moment, to be honest, looking at the replays and everything because it’s a first-lap incident, we are all very close together.”
After the incident, Alonso also said that Hamilton “only knows how to drive starting first”. The Spaniard assured that he does not think that way.
“No, no, no, I don’t believe [that]. I mean, it’s not that I believe or don’t believe, there are facts that it is not that way. So it’s something that you say in the heat of the moment. But as I said, nothing that I said is true, or there are facts that are completely the opposite. So I have huge respect.”
Alonso added that he is going to apologize to Hamilton in person on Thursday.
“I will hopefully when we are doing the TV pen approach him and say sorry if he understood in that way. I have absolutely no problems with him. And as I said, I have huge respect for him.”
