Lewis Hamilton has stated he will send a text message to former Mercedes teammate George Russell following their first-lap collision at the Belgian Grand Prix, which ended Russell's race and earned Hamilton a five-second penalty. The incident occurred at Les Combes, leaving Russell's Mercedes beached in the gravel.
Hamilton's Penalty and Russell's Frustration
The seven-time world champion was penalized for his role in the coming-together, a decision that Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur called "a bit harsh." Hamilton himself argued it was a racing incident, saying, "I don't think there should be a penalty for that." Russell, meanwhile, expressed anger—not at Hamilton, but at his own team, Mercedes, due to a battery problem that left him vulnerable.
Russell explained: "For whatever reason, the battery decided not to recharge at turn one. So, I went around the first corner, the battery didn't charge, and I exited the first corner 35 per cent down." He added that the issue also caused a boost problem, leaving him with no power: "I got to the top of Eau Rouge with 0 per cent on the battery. Quite frankly, it was dangerous, you know. I got swamped by three cars."
Russell's Disappointment and Championship Impact
Russell was devastated as his third race without points in his last six allowed teammate Kimi Antonelli to move 50 points clear of the Brit in the championship. He said, "I'm numb to the disappointment now. When it happens so often, you just get used to it." Despite the collision, Russell considered it a racing incident: "He didn't do it on purpose. He was more to blame than I, but he didn't do anything reckless."
Hamilton echoed that sentiment, noting, "I was in a position where George obviously looked like he lost power, and then he just swooped around on the outside, and we just sort of had a coming together." He added that he raced with damage and the penalty, doing his best under the circumstances.
Ferrari Boss Defends Hamilton
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur disagreed with the penalty, stating: "I think it's a bit harsh because it's Lap 1, so far into the season there was no penalty [for similar]. If you have a look on the corner at Russell, he had space on the left-hand side. It's not that he was close to the wall. I think it's more a racing incident for me."
Formula 1 now heads to Hungary for the final Grand Prix before the summer break, a country where Hamilton is a record eight-time winner.
