Fernando Alonso accuses Lewis Hamilton of driving ‘like a bull’ as Max Verstappen wins fiery sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton drove like a bull and only escaped punishment because he is not Spaniard, according to his old enemy Fernando Alonso.
The two-time world champion made the claims after being involved in a melee in the opening corner of the sprint in Miami won by Max Verstappen.
Coincidentally, the issue of punishment for Hamilton’s extravagance was irrelevant as he was given a retroactive drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him from eighth on the road to a dismal 16th.
“We’ll see what they decide,” Alonso urged the stewards. ‘He was a bit out of control. I don’t think they will decide anything because he is not Spaniard.
“But he ruined the race for a few people, especially Lando Norris, who had a very fast car and he retired in that incident.”
Lewis Hamilton was accused by Fernando Alonso of attacking ‘like a bull’ after one corner
Hamilton braked very late and seemed to get tangled up with Aston Martin’s unsuspecting Alonso
The drama unfolded when Hamilton, who started twelfth, raced in. He braked very late and tangled with Aston Martin’s unsuspecting Alonso, who crashed into teammate Lance Stroll, who then cut off McLaren’s Norris.
Norris and Stroll retired. The safety car was deployed. “Hamilton arrived like a bull,” Alonso complained on the radio. The Spaniard suffered a puncture, but returned to contention, albeit at the very back, after starting eighth. He finished 18th and last. Hamilton was unharmed.
“There was a hole on the inside and I went for it,” he protested.
The stewards investigated the incident but took no further action. It was a generous ruling, although it is their stated policy to show judicial leniency at the outset.
There is a lot of history between Hamilton and Alonso, dating back to their bitter partnership at McLaren in 2007. By the end of that feud, they were no longer getting along.
More recently they crashed in Belgium in 2022. Alonso called Hamilton an ‘idiot’ and said he could only drive if he was at the front.
The stewards investigated the incident but took no further action against the Mercedes driver
Max Verstappen won the sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, but it was a controversial race
Hamilton remained the center of attention yesterday.
He dueled with Kevin Magnussen of Haas for eighth place. Hamilton eventually made the pass, but his speeding violation under the safety car – 11 km/h too fast – sealed his fate. His Mercedes teammate George Russell moved to a disappointing 12th place.
Verstappen, who beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and fellow Red Bull man Sergio Perez into second and third place, extended his championship lead to 27 points.
Where Verstappen operated, jousting was not necessary.