“That Was My Fault, I’m Very Sorry”: Lewis Hamilton’s Smart Move Saved Mercedes Post Collision With George Russell, James Allison

Remember the ‘ahhs’ and the ‘ohhs’ that followed the Spanish Grand Prix crash between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2016? The tense post-race interviews and de-briefs floated along the headlines for a year. Mercedes even threatened to sack the two drivers if they kept up their antics. However, things are much somber at the British outfit post-crash at the Lusail International Circuit. And it is partly because of Hamilton’s re-assessment of the crash.

“Got taken out by my own teammate,” retorted the seven-time world champion when asked if he was okay. The F1 community smelled another burning rivalry at Mercedes from miles away. But the ‘Drive to Survive ‘-esque action never unfolded. Lewis Hamilton proved himself to be a humble paragon. He walked back the way he came on the team radio. Predicted to ease past Sergio Perez, Hamilton is not just brawn but also brains.

Lewis Hamilton takes the blame for crash averting friction

Expecting drama, everyone was gearing up for heated exchanges at Mercedes. But the theatrics were cut short when Hamilton reviewed the race footage. Feeling sorry for the team, he accepted he was at fault. The Briton took complete responsibility for the crash and tweeted, “I’ve watched the replay, and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George.” Unlike the tense post-race debriefs of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton’s acknowledgment of his error threw any signs of tensions at Mercedes out the window.

Musing on the apology on the F1 Nation podcast, James Allison, the Mercedes technical director, said, “Everything got a huge amount more simple as soon as Lewis had watched the video, because he immediately put his hands up and just said ‘that was my fault, I’m very sorry’.”

Do you remember when Rosberg asked Hamilton why he did not leave enough space and Hamilton retorted, “Why should I? I want to win the race?” Allison insisted that after the race, George Russell and Hamilton took their share of the responsibility in the crash. The 55-year-old suggested that the two drivers were on different strategies. He added, “I think both drivers understood that they were on different tyres, understood that Lewis was likely to be more sparkly in the opening laps of the race, and I think George had acknowledged that neither of them should lose time if that were the case.”

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Although Hamilton failed to score a single point during the Qatar Grand Prix, it added little to his misery running for second place in the Driver’s Championship.

Never-ending woes for Sergio Perez as Hamilton closes in

Sergio Perez was on a brilliant start at the beginning of the season. However, his winning spell soon ended as he failed to make it in Q3 for five consecutive races. Under the floodlights of Lusail, the Mexican driver was expected to extend his lead over the Mercedes driver. Unfortunately for him, the track penalties antagonized his stint. Despite Hamilton not scoring points during the weekend, Perez scored a measly one point, failing to solidify his lead.

Lewis Hamilton is chewing through the 30-point gap to the Red Bull driver. In the last three races, he has scored a total of 26 points and a podium against five points by Perez. And with the upcoming Austin Grand Prix, the Briton is on the trajectory of decreasing the gap, giving Perez a run for his money and job security at Red Bull.

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With five races to go, the Mercedes drivers have drilled in their heads that the fight isn’t with each other. Projected at P2 in the championship, the British Outfit can have a satisfactory end despite their pre-season testing gloom.