The Qatar Grand Prix 2023 was a nightmare for the Mercedes team, and Lewis Hamilton in particular. The seven-time world champion encountered not one but multiple mishaps throughout the weekend. After brilliantly nabbing the fifth spot from Carlos Sainz of Ferrari at the sprint race, he started the race day in the third spot.
But, although not expected from him, Hamilton made a blunder right at the first lap. He unfortunately collided with his teammate, George Russell who was running right ahead of him.
Given the disagreements that emerged between the two British drivers in recent days, fans and spectators were expecting the beginning of an internal tension within the Silver Arrows team. But surprisingly, nothing really happened.
George Russell stated that there are “no hard feelings” towards his senior counterpart. This was a massive relief as the two drivers showed sportsmanship regarding the incident.
No hard feelings. We’re here to fight and maximise for the team. We misjudged it today, but our car was exceptionally strong and I’m proud of the whole team. Time to regroup and continue building off the strong pace in Austin 👊 pic.twitter.com/dl0RlLYYzT
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) October 8, 2023
There was also a feeling of regret in Lewis Hamilton’s voice as he left a message over the radio right after the collision happened.
He said, “Everyone’s working massively hard, so it’s massively gutting to have a result like this cause you’re preparing and putting the time in. It’s very rare that this happens to me but I hope George is able to get back into the points today. I’ll be supporting him.” This was a massive relief for all as the two drivers showed sportsmanship in that situation.
Lewis Hamilton takes responsibility for Qatar Grand Prix incident
The Mercedes team experienced a dramatic turn of events during the opening lap of the race. George Russell held a better starting position and was eager to challenge the reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, in the very first corner.
Lewis Hamilton was simultaneously aiming at getting past both of them, culminating in an exciting three-wide maneuver at the start of the race.
“I take full responsibility”
Lewis Hamilton reflects on the opening lap collision with team mate George Russell #F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/ToG91LKs8L
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2023
Tragically, Hamilton’s attempt to overtake his teammate got too close for ease, triggering a collision with the other Mercedes. However, the 38-year-old driver showed accountability by taking responsibility for his actions. He said, “I’m happy to take responsibility because that’s my role. I need to go back and look at it, but I don’t feel like it was George’s fault.”
The seven-time world champion claimed full responsibility for the disaster when speaking with Sky F1 notwithstanding the possibility of dire repercussions.
He also highlighted that the two drivers’ rapport was still intact and that they would talk about the event in an effort to continue moving forward. The Mercedes team is directly vying with Ferrari for the coveted second spot in the world championship for constructors.