‘Nice To Know How He Feels About Me’: Lewis Hamilton After Ex-Teammate Calls Him ‘Idiot’

Lewis Hamilton has reacted after former teammate Fernando Alonso called him an “idiot” during the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Hamilton and Alonso crashed against each other on lap 1 of the Belgian F1 race. The collision irked the Alpine racer, who then said on the radio, “What an idiot, closing the door from the outside. I mean, we had a mega start, but this guy [Hamilton] only knows how to drive and start in first.”

The seven-time world champion, later on, admitted the crash was his fault. The crash saw Hamilton’s Mercedes thrown into the air before he was forced into retirement.

“I know that’s how things feel in the heat of the moment, but it’s nice to know how he feels about me,” Hamilton told reporters after the race, BBC Sport reported.

Hamilton also said he didn’t care about what Alonso said as he was in the former’s blind spot.

“Looking back at the footage, he was in my blind spot and I didn’t leave him enough space today. Just so sorry to the team. It doesn’t really matter what he said. I don’t care. Like I said, it was my fault, I couldn’t see him,” said Hamilton, according to F1’s official website.

While Hamilton was on the receiving end as he could not finish the race, Alonso finished fifth and bagged 10 vital points.

Alonso, who was Hamilton’s teammate at McLaren in the past, acknowledged the latter’s apology before recollecting similar incidents that had happened in the past.

“I mean, I was surprised, and for sure he now saw the incident and he takes the responsibility, which is obviously very nice from him. It was a Lap 1 incident, nothing really to say there. The stewards didn’t say anything because these things happen, especially in that corner. It happened in the past, I remember also with Lewis and [former Mercedes teammate Nico] Rosberg [in 2014]. It’s a tricky corner,” Alonso said.

Defending champion Max Verstappen claimed his ninth win of the season and extended his lead in the drivers’ title race. The Dutchman now has 284 points, with teammate Sergio Perez in second place with 191 points, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (186 points) and his teammate Carlos Sainz (171 points).

Hamilton is placed sixth in the drivers’ championship with 146 points, 24 points behind Mercedes teammate George Russell.