Hamilton takes responsibility for Turn 1 incident with Russell in Qatar GP
9th October 2023Mercedes’ Sir Lewis Hamilton has taken full responsibility for the first-corner incident with himself and George Russell which saw the seven-time world champion crash out of the Qatar Grand Prix.
Ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, Mercedes looked in prime position to snatch away vital points from Ferrari as the Brackley-based team looks to build up their buffer to Ferrari in the constructors championship.
However, that was put into disarray after the two Mercedes drivers, Hamilton and Russell, collided on the opening lap at the first corner. When the lights went out, Hamilton got a better start – on the soft compounds – and was quickly wheel-to-wheel with Russell as the pack approached the entry to turn one.
The two drivers soon made contact as Hamilton moved over to the right, this squeezed Russell in between Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who was on the inside line. Russell’s front-left medium compound tyre tagged the rear-right of Hamilton’s.
The collision saw Hamilton’s rear tyre rip itself from the rim and bounce across the circuit as the two Mercedes spun in a synchronised fashion, only Russell was able to continue on to the pits for a tyre change and a quick check. Unfortunately, Hamilton skidded across the circuit and became beached in the gravel trap.
Following the incident, Hamilton was frustrated over team radio as he stated he was taken out by his own teammate but after seeing the replays, Hamilton took responsibility. On X – formerly Twitter, Hamilton said:
“I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George.”
Naturally, race control quickly got involved with the crash and stated they would investigate the incident after the race. The stewards looked into the incident and, even though stated that arguments could be made that Hamilton was predominately to blame, ‘no driver is wholly at fault.’
In the FIA document, the stewards said:
“Cars 44, 63 and 1 entered Turn 1 three-wide with Car 44 trying to make a move on Car 63 around the outside. When turning in, the rear-right wheel of Car 44 made contact with the front left edge of Car 63, causing Car 44 to spin off track.
“Car 63 also spun but was able to continue the race after that. Whilst the argument can be made that Car 44 was predominantly at fault, the Stewards, taking into account that the incident happened in Lap 1 and several cars were involved, determine that the incident is considered as a typical “Lap 1, Turn 1” incident and no driver is wholly at fault.
“Therefore no further action is taken.”
On TikTok, the Mercedes team posted a video of Hamilton apologising to Russell for the incident, after the race, and the two drivers hugged it out.
@mercedesamgf1 Actions speak louder than words. #QatarGP #F1 #MercedesF1 #LewisHamilton #GeorgeRussell #FormulaOne #Teamwork
That’s all for the article: Hamilton takes responsibility for Turn 1 incident with Russell in Qatar GP!
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
