Fernando Alonso plays down Lewis Hamilton jibe but takes swipe at Ferrari
Fernando Alonso played down his radio tirade at Lewis Hamilton in the immediate aftermath of their clash at the Belgian Grand Prix before poking fun at former team Ferrari.
Alonso and Hamilton both made strong starts at Spa and were battling for second place going into Les Combes. Hamilton attempted to go around the outside of the Alpine, only to hit the front left wheel of Alonso’s car and bounce into the air.
Hamilton was forced to retire but Alonso was able to carry on and finished fifth as Alpine strengthened their grip on fourth place in the constructors’ championship ahead of McLaren.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton snaps 'it doesn’t matter what he said' after taking blame for Alonso crash
Immediately after their collision, Alonso branded Hamilton an “idiot” over the radio, adding: “This guy only knows how to drive when he starts in first place.”
Hamilton later took responsibility while Alonso rowed back on his initial criticism of his former McLaren teammate after the race.
Asked about his comments over the radio by Sky Sports F1, the Aston Martin-bound Spaniard said: “I was surprised. He now saw the incident and takes the responsibility. That’s very nice from him.
“It was a lap one incident, nothing really to say there. These things happen, especially in that corner. It’s happened in the past with Lewis and [Nico] Rosberg [in 2014]. It’s a tricky corner. I was frustrated in that moment, for sure.”
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Alonso looked set to finish sixth until Ferrari made the bizarre decision to bring Charles Leclerc in for a late pit-stop in a bid to secure the extra point for fastest lap.
However, the move backfired massively. Not only did Alonso overtake Leclerc as he left the pits, but the Monegasque driver was also hit with a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
Asked if he was surprised that Ferrari had brought Leclerc in, Alonso cheekily replied: “Yeah, I was surprised but then Ferrari always does a strange strategy. That was one of those.”
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