Lewis Hamilton apologises to George Russell after crash in Qatar: ‘It wasn’t your fault’
Lewis Hamilton apologised to George Russell and took full responsibility for their first lap crash at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday night.
The Mercedes pair collided at the first turn of the first lap of the race, with Hamilton’s rear-right tyre clipping the front of Russell’s car.
Hamilton, 38, spun off into the gravel and was forced to retire from the grand prix, while the incident also ruined Russell’s race as he dropped back to dead last.
But while both immediately blamed each other on the team radio, Hamilton later admitted he was at fault and post-race spoke to Russell.
In a video posted on Mercedes’ Instagram page, Hamilton is seen approaching Russell in the paddock and saying: “Sorry about today, it wasn’t your fault.”
The pair quickly embrace, with Hamilton adding: “Great job.”
Hamilton also posted on X/Twitter: “I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George.”
Russell, despite intense humid conditions in Lusail, recovered over the next 57 laps to finish a respectable fourth.
At the time, Russell yelled: “Come on, what the hell,. That is two races in a row.”
Hamilton rebuked: “Yeah, I got taken out by team-mate.”
The all-British pair, who started their partnership at the start of 2022, raced tightly in Suzuka two weeks ago, with Russell then irritated that the team strategy did not work in his favour - with Hamilton also frustrated.
Hamilton added in his TV pen interview: “I just feel really sorry for the team, we had a chance today to get some good points.
“Heat of the moment, I didn’t understand what happened but I don’t think George had anywhere to go. I’m happy to take responsibility for it.
“It’s massively gutting to have a result like this. It’s very rare that this happens, I hope George is able to get back into the points.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was absent from this race – his second in a row – as he recovers from knee surgery.
But the Austrian came on the intercom in a move to calm Russell, 25, down shortly after the incident.
“George, let’s race now, and get the best out of it,” he said.
Max Verstappen won the race, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris securing another double podium for McLaren.
