Lewis Hamilton apologised after accusing Mercedes teammate George Russell of taking him out of the Qatar Grand Prix after the two collided at the first corner of the opening lap.
Russell continued after a pit stop but Hamilton’s car ended up in the gravel minus a rear wheel.
“I got taken out by my own teammate,” said the seven-time Formula One world champion over team radio.
But a later post on social media saw Hamilton take the blame himself.
OH NO!! 🤯
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 8, 2023
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell collide! Hamilton is OUT! ❌ pic.twitter.com/zRbx4NIP4W
He wrote “I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George.”
Hamilton had tried to go around Russell on the outside but his rear right wheel made contact with the front left of Russell’s car, spinning both around.
“Come on! What the...,” exclaimed Russell as he made his way back to the pits with the safety car deployed.
“I’m so sorry guys. I wasn’t even looking behind,” he added. “I was just focused ahead and he just came from nowhere.
“Lost for words, honestly,” he said a bit later. “I’ve just seen the replays on the TV screen. I couldn’t do anything. I was totally sandwiched.”
Team boss Toto Wolff, who is not in Qatar due to recent knee surgery, then came on the radio to tell Russell to focus on the race.
Russell had started second on the grid with Hamilton third and looking likely to increase the 26 point gap between them and third-placed Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. Ferrari had already lost Carlos Sainz before the start to a fuel system problem.
Despite the first-lap crash, Russell fought his way back to fourth place to finish behind world champion and race winner Max Verstappen. Oscar Piastri backed up his sprint victory with second place, ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
