Spa-Francorchamps : Lewis Hamilton today admitted he was at fault and apologised to his McLaren team and to Sauber rival Kamui Kobayashi after reviewing their crash in Belgian Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old Briton, whose impetuosity has become a frequent problem over the last two years, said he had made an error of judgement yesterday and not given his Japanese opponent sufficient space.
Writing on Twitter, Hamilton said: “After watching the replay, I realise it was my fault 100 per cent. I didn’t give Kobayashi enough room though I thought I was past.
“Apologies to Kamui and to my team. The team deserves better from me.”
Hamilton made his spectacular exit from a dramatic race, won by defending champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, when he collided with Kobayashi on lap 13. In June, he retired from the Canadian Grand Prix after a collision with his own McLaren team-mate compatriot Jenson Button.
Yesterday, Button finished a stirring second behind series leader Vettel and the German’s Red Bull team-mate Australian Mark Webber.
For Hamilton to change his mind and issue a public apology may be seen as a hint that he is considering his approach to races more carefully.
After yesterday’s crash had eliminated him from a race where he had a good chance of fighting for a win, he said he did not believe he was to blame.
“I’m not really quite sure (what happened) to be honest,” he said. “I just remember hitting the wall pretty hard. “It’s a bit unfortunate for the team, we were in a good position and as far as I was concerned I was ahead of whoever it was I was racing and then I just got hit by them. (AFP)