A fourth place, despite everything
Lewis Hamilton was the first to talk about a domino effect for his weekend, caused by the accident at the end of FP3. From there, a non-optimal setup of his SF-26 caused him to start from the third row, then the contact with George Russell that cost him a 5-second penalty and finally the scare with the Ferrari mechanic who fell during the stop – fortunately unharmed.
In a scenario like this, the final fourth place at Spa-Francorchamps can be seen as a decent result for the English driver.
Here is how Hamilton commented on the two most intense episodes of his race.
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Hamilton and the incident with Russell (Sky Italia)
“The penalty? Yes, I think they gave it to me because George retired and they thought to take action. Even though I think it was a racing incident. It’s something that happens in a race. Neither I nor he were particularly aggressive. Things happen, an unfortunate episode.”
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Comment on the episode with the mechanic (Sky UK)
“Well, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t do anything strange: I did what the green light told me and so I went. You look this way, you don’t look that way. So, ultimately, the responsibility probably lies more with the team.
But when it happened, I noticed it and I stopped. And maybe the only thing that crossed my mind at that moment was when the mechanic broke a leg in the pits with Kimi. My heart really sank for a second, but I’m really grateful he is okay.”
