Lewis Hamilton branded 'idiot' by Fernando Alonso after Belgian GP crash

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton received an apology from team prinicipal Toto Wolff after a strategy error robbed the Briton of a first race victory of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix. The seven-time champion unleashed a tirade of expletives at his team after being passed by Max Verstappen, and then team-mate George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, following the safety car restart before coming home in fourth. Hamilton's race engineer Peter Bennington apologised to Hamilton for the events that led to the Briton coming home in fourth place and promised to review the incidents later in the day.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell who exerted more pressure on the world champion, and Hamilton could have won it had it not been for late-race virtual and full safety cars.However, once again, Ferrari shot themselves in the foot with comical errors, this time affecting Carlos Sainz. First, after the Spaniard was called in, the mechanics did not have all four wheels ready, meaning a stop which should have taken less than three seconds took more than 12. READ MORE: Carlos Sainz moans 'oh my god' as Ferrari forget tyre during Dutch Grand Prix pitstop Sainz suffered another setback later in the race when he was hit with a time penalty following an unsafe release and eventually finished eighth.

Lewis Hamilton has apologised to Mercedes following this foul-mouthed outburst during the Dutch Grand Prix.The seven-time world champion let rip during the closing stages of the race, which was won by Max Verstappen, after being left out on medium tyres.Having led the race, he was overtaken by Verstappen, teammate George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who had all switched to the faster soft tyres following a safety car period, triggered when the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas ground to a halt on the pit straight.READ MORE: Toto Wolff happy to be Lewis Hamilton’s 'trash bin' after Dutch GP radio rant“That was the biggest **** up,” he fumed over team radio before another rant soon after: “I can't believe you guys **** **** me, can't you how **** I am.”However, Hamilton was much calmer after finishing the race, thanking his mechanics for their efforts on his cool-down lap. Then, when he faced the media, he issued an apology.“I was on the edge of breaking point with emotions,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “My apologies to the team.

Toto Wolff said he was happy to be Lewis Hamilton’s “trash bin” after the seven-time world champion’s expletive-laden rant against Mercedes during the Dutch Grand Prix.Hamilton had looked set to win his first Grand Prix of the season after running long on the medium tyres from the start before switching to hards for an intended one-stop strategy. However, a virtual safety car (VSC), triggered when Yuki Tsunoda, of Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri, stopped on track and a full safety car, needed when Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas ground to a halt on the pit straight, jumbled up every team’s strategy.It could be argued Mercedes should have either kept Russell out as a buffer between Hamilton and Max Verstappen or brought Hamilton in for the fastest soft tyres.

Lewis Hamilton unleashed an expletive-laden rant at his Mercedes team after seeing his chances of winning his first Grand Prix of the season wrecked by a questionable strategy call.Hamilton was well-placed to win the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort after what looked to be an inspired strategy of running long on the medium tyres from the start and then switching to hards for a one-stop strategy.However, a virtually safety car (VSC), triggered when Yuki Tsunoda, of Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri, stopped on track and a full safety car, needed when Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas ground to a halt on the pit straight, jumbled up every team’s strategy. READ MORE: Carlos Sainz moans 'oh my god' as Ferrari forget tyre during Dutch Grand Prix pitstop Max Verstappen switched to soft tyres, as did George Russell, which crucially saw the Mercedes drop behind the Red Bull. Russell had previously been running between leader Hamilton and Verstappen.On the restart after the full safety car, Verstappen easily overtook Hamilton, who had switched to mediums during the VSC but stayed out during the full safety car.It could be argued Mercedes should have either kept Russell out as a buffer between Hamilton and Verstappen, or brought Hamilton in for the fastest soft tyres. Did Mercedes make the wrong call? Have your say in the comments section below. Either way, the seven-time world champion was left fuming by his team’s handling of the race."That was the biggest **** up,” he fumed over team radio before another rant soon after: "I can't believe you guys **** **** me, can't you how **** I am."Having been left on the slower tyres, Hamilton was overtaken by Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and came home fourth as Verstappen took victory to

LIVE – Updated at 11:10The Formula 1 season continues after its return in Belgium last week with this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, with Max Verstappen holding a healthy 93-point lead in the World Championship with eight races to go. The Red Bull star stormed to victory at Spa-Francorchamps at the weekend, winning by a margin of 18 seconds to team-mate Sergio Perez despite starting in P14 due to an engine penalty; Carlos Sainz took the other podium spot as he held off George Russell late on, while Charles Leclerc finished sixth.

Max Verstappen had to negotiate pigeons and flares as he took pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix.Verstappen just pipped the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, to the delight of his home fans at Zandvoort. The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were also quick, but their final runs at the end of Q3 were wrecked when Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, spun at the final corner to bring out the yellow flags.Hamilton will start fourth with Perez fifth and Russell sixth for what promises to be a much closer race than in Belgium last weekend when Verstappen romped to victory despite starting down the grid due to an engine penalty. READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton hints he's open to Man Utd takeover with Mercedes 'partner' Jim Ratcliffe There was drama earlier in the session when the red flag was waved after an orange flare was hurled onto the track.

Lewis Hamilton has been called 'stupid' by former Formula One driver Christian Danner after the Mercedes star crashed into Fernando Alonso in the first lap of the Belgian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion was sent airborne from the accident and the damage forced the Briton to retire while the Alpine man was able to recover to finish an impressive fifth. The incident came as the former McLaren team-mates jostled for position down the Kemmel straight.

Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of South Africa being added to the calendar for 2023 have been dashed after talks between circuit owners and F1 reportedly collapsed. F1 is determined to return to the country which last hosted a Grand Prix in 1993 at the Kyalami track.

Formula 1 future, with his contract due to expire at the end of the year. The German had been linked with Aston Martin and Alpine, but Fernando Alonso will replace his mentor, Sebastian Vettel at Aston, while Pierre Gasly is being tipped to replace Alonso at Alpine, whose reserve driver, Oscar Piastri, looks set to join McLaren.But Schumacher had another, more immediate issue to feel uncomfortable about as he made his way back to the Haas garage following the Grand Prix at Spa. READ MORE: Martin Brundle accuses Fernando Alonso of 'error of judgement' after Lewis Hamilton clash “My a** is burning, I don’t know what… what hot air is blowing onto me,” he said over team radio, adding: “But I’m like so on fire.”His engineer coolly replied: “OK, understood, yeah.

Lewis Hamilton for his choice of attire at the Belgian Grand Prix over the weekend.Hamilton turned up to Spa wearing a purple cardigan and trousers with an eye-catching pink knitted balaclava, complete with some sunflowers. While the Brit is known for his keen sense of fashion, some fand thought this was too far out there.And some took to Twitter to joke the Brit was wearing their grandma's 'tea cosy'.

Lewis Hamilton has claimed he "doesn't care" after Fernando Alonso called the Mercedes star an "idiot" after their lap one crash at the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton swept around the outside of Fernando Alonso in a bid to take second place on lap one. However, the pair made contact at Les Combes with Alonso's front-wing smashing into Hamilton's rear-right tyre.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the Belgian Grand Prix.Fresh from helping Manchester City to a dramatic Premier League victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday, De Bruyne was a guest of Red Bull and swapped team shirts with Verstappen before the race. Therefore it was no surprise that he was collared by Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle during his pre-race grid walk.“I know Max a little bit, we speak from time to time.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has confirmed.There were fears the hugely popular race would lose its spot amid talk of South Africa returning to the schedule as early as next year. However, speaking ahead of today’s race at Spa, Domenicali confirmed Spa would be on the calendar next year, although the long-term future of the race is less certain.“The Belgian Grand Prix will be in the calendar for 2023,” the Italian told Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle. READ MORE: F1 needs Spa more than Spa needs F1, insists top Belgian racer Sarah Bovy Asked about the long-term future of the race, Domenicali was non-committal, adding: “We’ll see, we’ll do it step by step.

Formula1 returns for the Belgian Grand Prix after a 28 day hiatus - and so too will the many wives and partners of the drivers. Max Verstappen may still be cruising, but Lewis Hamilton’s vastly improved second place finish at the Hungarian GP suggests there are still many twists and turns to come.

LIVE – Updated at 17:47Carlos Sainz will start Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix on pole, with first in qualifying Max Verstappen taking an engine penalty and starting from the back of the grid. Sergio Perez will start alongside the Ferrari on the front row having come home third, while Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton will occupy the second row in third and fourth respectively on Sunday, with George Russell and the impressive Alex Albon behind. Hamilton in particular could not believe the 1.

Lewis Hamilton admitted he won’t miss his Mercedes W13 after he ended qualifying almost two seconds off the pace of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.The Mercedes driver could only set the seventh fastest time in Q3 at Spa with teammate George Russell one place behind. Due to numerous drivers, including Verstappen, incurring grid penalties, the Mercedes pair will start a more encouraging fourth and fifth behind Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso.However, that was of little consolation to Hamilton, who was left downbeat by the pace deficit to Verstappen’s Red Bull, which has set the pace all weekend. READ MORE: Charles Leclerc left bemused as Ferrari admit to 'mistake' during Belgian GP qualifying After a number of upgrades and a tweak to regulations, which were expected by some to bring Red Bull and Ferrari back to the pack, the weekend has been a huge let-down for Mercedes so far.

Formula 1’s summer break gave teams the chance to reflect on their successes and failures of the first half of the season.But it was the same old story for Ferrari as the bungling Italian squad made a basic error during qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix. World champion Max Verstappen set the fastest time but as the Dutchman had already incurred a grid penalty, he will start down in 15th.Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who set the second fastest time in Q3, will instead start on pole position, with Sergio Perez of Red Bull joining him on the front row.

Russian superyacht is set to go up for auction next week after being seized when it's billionaire owner failed to pay off a £17million loan.The 224ft vessel, named Axioma, will be auctioned at Gibraltar's Admiralty Court and it's expected to go under the hammer for less than its estimated value.Onboard the enormous yacht, which sleep 12 people in six cabins and has space for 22 crew members, there's a 3D cinema, two swimming pools, a swim-in cocktail bar, Jacuzzi, spa, jet skis and scuba diving equipment.READ MORE: Powerful Putin propagandist's daughter killed in car bombing as dad watches onSome governments, including the UK, called for the proceeds of seized assets to help Ukrainian refugees - but the money raised from selling Axioma is believed to be going to JP Morgan.The yacht, owned by Putin's crony Dmitrievich Pumpyansky, was built in 2013 and was once available for millionaires to rent at up to £465,000 per week. Fuel costs for the vessel alone cost around £15,000 a week and crew can make upwards of £10,000 a week in tips.Famous faces who previously chartered the vessel include Kendall Jenner as well as Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, reports the Daily Mail.Pumpyansky made his almost £2 billion fortune on oil and gas pipelines as the owner of steel pipe manufacturer OAO TMK, a supplier to the Russian owned energy company Gazprom.Since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, Pumpyansky has been banned from the UK, EU and the US.