Alonso blasts Hamilton "an idiot" after opening-lap crash

Ian Parkes
Sunday 28 August 2022 16:17 - Updated: 16:25

Fernando Alonso branded Lewis Hamilton "an idiot" following their first-lap shunt that sent the seven-time champion out of the Belgian Grand Prix.

From the start at Spa-Francorchamps, Mercedes driver Hamilton attacked Alpine's Alonso down the Kemmel Straight.

Turning into the right-handed Les Combes, from around the outside, Hamilton managed to get half a car in front of Alonso as he turned across his former McLaren team-mate.

It resulted in the front-left of Alonso's A522 colliding with the right-rear of Hamilton's W13, sending the latter into the air.

Hamilton managed to land, control his car and continued for half a lap before being told to stop the car with smoke starting to emerge from the rear.

On the radio shortly after, an angry Alonso said: "What an idiot!

"Closing the door from the outside. We had a mega start but this guy only knows how to drive and start in first."

Despite a stewards' investigation, surprisingly they took no further action.

On the following lap, Williams' Nicholas Latifi caught the gravel emerging out of the Les Combes chicane, sending him across the track into oncoming traffic.

Despite Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas trying to take avoiding action, the Finn was unfortunately tagged by Latifi.

That sent him into a spin, beaching his car in a gravel trap on the opposite side of the circuit.

With Hamilton's car also stranded off track, race control summoned a safety car to clear the stricken Mercedes and Alfa Romeo.