Lewis Hamilton: George Russell crash at Qatar GP '100 per cent my fault' as he apologises to Mercedes

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During the beginning of the Qatar Grand Prix, the Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had a crash.

Lewis Hamilton expressed regret to both George Russell and Mercedes for causing the accident on the opening corner of the Qatar Grand Prix. He took full responsibility for the crash.

On Sunday's race, the Mercedes drivers, driving side by side, joined forces with Max Verstappen to compete for the lead position at Turn One.

During the race, Hamilton used soft tyres, which had more grip than the mediums that Verstappen and Russell were using. Hamilton tried to pass the other Mercedes car on the outside, but unfortunately, he hit his teammate's front wheel. As a result, both cars spun out of control and went off the track.

At first, both drivers accused each other on the team radio, but Hamilton was fast to admit that it was his mistake during his interviews with the media upon arriving back at the paddock.

Hamilton, feeling low, mentioned to Sky Sports F1 that he regrets the situation. He didn't even watch the replay of the incident. This was a chance for him to gain valuable points for his team.

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According to Hamilton, he accepts the blame for the crash involving his teammate. On the other hand, Russell believes that both of them share mutual respect, and they will eventually move on from this incident.

During the intense situation, I was unable to fully comprehend the events. However, I could clearly sense a tap coming from behind me.

However, I doubt that George had a place to seek refuge. It is indeed a very distressing circumstance.

To clarify, I am content with assuming accountability as the more mature individual.

After watching a replay some time later, Hamilton acknowledged his mistake and offered an apology to his team and teammate on social media.

After watching the playback, I completely acknowledge that the fault lies entirely with me and I am willing to bear the consequences for my actions. This statement is posted on X.

Russell had expressed extreme anger while communicating via his team's radio system regarding the incident that had occurred during the race.

The young adult of 25 years old had to make a pit stop to fix damages during the first lap. However, from that point on, they were able to drive impressively and make a remarkable comeback, ultimately finishing in fourth place.

In post-race interviews, Russell appeared significantly more composed. He subsequently shared a photograph and video on social media of himself and Hamilton embracing, along with the message "let bygones be bygones."

Russell expressed that today, we made an incorrect assessment.

Team Radio Highlights: What Happened & Said?

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Tune in to the radio transmissions wherein Hamilton and Russell vented their irritation over the team radio subsequent to their crash on the initial lap.

In the second and third positions, Russell and Hamilton began the race behind the pole winner, Verstappen, thanks to their outstanding qualifying performance. To cope with the challenging race strategy after the FIA maxed out the tyre stint duration to 18 laps due to safety concerns, Mercedes split their tyre strategies.

Russell opted for the medium tyres for the beginning, just like Verstappen did. These tyres are marked with yellow and are positioned in the middle of the range of tyres provided by Pirelli for the weekend event. They offer a balance between speed and longevity.

At the beginning of the race, Hamilton opted for brand new soft tires. These tires are marked with red and are known for providing top-notch acceleration and grip at the start of the race. However, they tend to lose their effectiveness earlier on in the race, which means drivers using these tires may need to make a pit stop sooner than others. Additionally, because Hamilton started on the side of the grid with less dirt and debris, he was expected to present a strong challenge to the two drivers in front of him at the start of the race.

During the start of the race at the traffic lights, both Mercedes vehicles had a positive beginning. Verstappen immediately took action and moved to the right to guard against Russell. Meanwhile, Hamilton was a bit behind them initially, positioned on the outer side.

As the group of racers sped down the straight section of the track, the first two leaders quickly moved to the left side of the road to take the most efficient angle for the upcoming right turn. This left Hamilton with the need to go even further to the left, away from the ideal racing line. Despite this setback, the highly skilled seven-time champion driver detected an opportunity to make a daring maneuver around the outside of his teammate's car and into the braking zone for the first corner of the track.

However, a calamity soon followed.

During the race, Hamilton's back-right tyre collided with Russell's front-left tyre, causing a crucial collision. This led to the tyre separating from the wheel and the seven-time winner losing control of the car. The car spun off course and went backwards onto the gravel, resulting in Hamilton being forced to retire from the race.

Russell also spun, but he managed to keep going despite some damage to his Mercedes. However, he had to go into the pits after the first lap when Hamilton's car became stranded, causing the Safety Car to come out.

Many impulsive radio conversations between the team members and drivers happened on the global television broadcast. They were trying to understand and come to terms with the recent event - breaking the crucial rule of motorsport, which is never to collide with your team-mate.

Russell exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Seriously? What is going on?"

Hey, everyone! Can we please focus for a moment? We've lost two races consecutively now!

Peter Bonnington, who is Lewis Hamilton's race engineer, asked, "Are you doing all right, buddy?"

Hamilton commented, "I was hit by my teammate and had to withdraw from the race."

Russell expressed his sincere apologies to his companions for not being attentive to his surroundings. He was concentrating on what was ahead of him, and unfortunately, the person appeared unexpectedly from behind. This unexpected incident frustrated Russell greatly.

Russell is expressing shock and disbelief at his current situation. He cannot find the words to describe how he is feeling. After watching the replays on television, he is completely overwhelmed. He was unable to take any action and was stuck in a difficult position.

Marcus Dudley, who is in charge of Russell's racing team, said "Stay focused and don't let anything distract you from the task at hand."

Russell expressed frustration by saying "Yes, I am aware. It's only the first lap."

Mercedes team leader, Toto Wolff, said to George, "Let's race right now and deliver our best performance."

Sky F1 Experts: Who's At Fault?

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Karun Chandhok examines the Mercedes collision that occurred on the first lap more carefully.

Nico Rosberg from Sky Sports F1 stated:

Lewis made a mistake that was entirely his fault. It wasn't a major miscalculation, just a small one. He didn't provide enough room for George.

Lewis has already admitted to being responsible for everything.

Karun Chandhok, commentator for Sky Sports F1, said:

Russell did not have any flexibility or freedom to maneuver.

Due to Verstappen's presence, he was unable to shift to the right. Lewis executed a maneuver by going around the perimeter and as a result, collided with Verstappen.

"Verstappen stayed still, while Russell also couldn't budge. However, it is worth noting that Lewis had the opportunity to give more space, whereas George had already done all he could."

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What Russell And Mercedes Said? | Better First Corner Approach?

In the third race, the Mercedes drivers were very close to each other while on the track, which has been a recurring pattern. During the second occurrence of the race, Russell conveyed his dissatisfaction with Hamilton's driving by speaking about it over the radio.

However, Russell took a more deep-thinking approach to the events that occurred during the race. During an interview with Sky F1, he stated that both himself and the other driver had the chance to finish in the top three. He also made it clear that there was no intention of causing any harm or negative outcomes during the race.

It's a real challenge to spot these cars while racing due to their extensive blind spots.

"We hold a great deal of mutual appreciation for each other. We will overcome this hurdle and surely communicate to resolve all misunderstandings."

The team's leader, Toto Wolff, was not present for the second race in a row due to his ongoing rehabilitation from a knee surgery. Instead, he kept in contact with the team through intercom from his home. This was proven by his message to Russell after their crash. As a result, other senior members had to take on Wolff's regular duties at the track.

According to Bradley Lord, who is the communications director of the team, during an interview with Sky F1, the team unfortunately experienced the most unfavorable beginning. Watching your two cars collide is the most disastrous outcome for any racing team.

Certainly, at the start of the race, the situation didn't seem good with George behind and Lewis stuck in the gravel. However, we managed to transform the situation with George now in fourth place and scoring more points than Ferrari. This was beyond our expectations after the first lap of the race.

When questioned about the pre-race discussions with the drivers regarding the first corner, considering their different starting tyres, Lord replied that they had addressed it in the morning. They had already talked about the possibility of having different performances at the start line. However, despite the prior discussions, the drivers still experienced a lack of space. It's impossible to foresee and prepare for every scenario irrespective of having discussions beforehand.

In regards to the subject, Russell stated: "We talked about Lewis taking the lead at the first turn. It was a challenging circumstance."

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