Lewis Hamilton crashed at the Qatar Grand Prix on the opening lap after colliding with Mercedes teammate George Russell while trying to overtake the first corner.
Ralf Schumacher has called on Mercedes to “intervene immediately” after teammate Lewis Hamilton clashed with George Russell at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Briton lined up behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen on the grid hoping to work together to bring Red Bull back. But that plan fell apart after just a few seconds when they made contact at the first corner.
Hamilton lost a wheel and was buried in the gravel, the race was over. Russell could go ahead but drop to the back of the field after looking for a new striker, potentially moving up to No. 4 in impressive fashion. Analyzing the incident for Sky Germany, Schumacher, a six-time F1 racing champion, said:
“Lewis gave in too early, didn’t give George enough space. The Mercedes were very strong, they dropped some good points.”
And the 48-year-old went on to suggest that the incident could be a sign of a deeper problem between Britons. He added:
“Now there’s some work to be done between the two of you. You can agree one way or another, the team needs to step in now.”
Speaking to the English version of Sky news, Hamilton’s former team-mate Nico Rosberg was unsure whether the collision should be resolved. “There wasn’t much to discuss – it was relatively one-sided,” he said. “Lewis tried on the outside because he had soft tyres. He was very fast, had good grip. But then he misjudged something, he pulled a little too early. The mistake was not the problem big, but it had major consequences. Of course, something like that shouldn’t happen.
Although he appeared critical of Russell in his first radio message after the clash, Hamilton was quick to admit his error. “I’m really sorry for my team,” he said. “The scoring opportunity was there, in the heat of the moment, I really don’t understand what happened.
“Obviously I felt hit from behind, but I don’t think George had anywhere to go. It was just one of those really unfortunate situations. I happily accept the responsibility. Everyone worked extremely hard, so it was extremely disappointing to receive results like this. »
And the two drivers hugged briefly after the race, as seen in images shared by the Mercedes team on social networks. In the clip, Hamilton approaches Russell and says:
“Sorry about today, it wasn’t your fault. Good job.” They kissed and patted each other’s shoulders a few times before Russell gave him a thumbs up to end it.
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