Hamilton on practice crash affecting Ferrari setup and qualifying
Lewis Hamilton said his crash in final practice for the Belgian Grand Prix had a “knock-on effect” on Ferrari’s set-up and his qualifying position, which left him further back on the grid and contributed to the opening-lap collision with George Russell that earned him a five-second penalty. Hamilton said: "I take responsibility for my incident, which then had a knock-on effect with the setup not being right, and then [I was] out of place in qualifying. With the setup right, I think we could have been fighting for third, second. It meant starting further back, and then I was in a position with George. It looked like he lost power, and then he swooped around the outside, and we just had a small coming together."
Lewis Hamilton pinpoints 'knock-on effect' that sparked Belgian GP penalty
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Hamilton on improving focus after Spa crash compromised Belgian weekend
Lewis Hamilton says he needs to “step it up” in focus at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix after a crash in final practice at Spa compromised his Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Hamilton said: "Can't afford weekends like this in a sense of my performance [on Saturday] so I'm going to step it up in terms of focus level for next week."
Hamilton tells himself to 'step it up' after Spa setbacks
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Bottas on Cadillac denying Herta replacement rumours
Valtteri Bottas says Cadillac reassured him “immediately” that rumours he could be replaced by reserve driver Colton Herta were “completely false”, adding there will be “no silly season” for him. Bottas said: "It's part of the sport. Sometimes there are some headlines that are not true. But the main thing is, I know the situation. Immediately when we saw the rumours, the team came to me and said, 'These are completely false', and I also know what my situation is, so that's why it's fine. It is nothing new in my career... So no silly season [for me]."
Valtteri Bottas reveals strong Cadillac reaction to F1 sack rumours
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Stella on Piastri-Leclerc contact at Spa
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the contact between Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc at the Belgian Grand Prix shows drivers need to leave enough space when running side by side, warning an uncontrolled touch could lead to a “very big” crash. Stella said: "I think in any case, when the cars are staying alongside for such a long time, I think we should make sure that the car that is not on the racing line, because it's defending the inside, does leave enough space. Because if there's a contact that is not controlled, then the crash is going to be very big. So I think there's possibly some learning to be taken out of this case."
McLaren issue 'very big' crash warning after Oscar Piastri hit by Charles Leclerc
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Russell on Mercedes power loss at Belgian GP start
George Russell said a lack of power from his Mercedes at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix left him “slower than a Formula 2 car”, before he retired on the first lap after tangling with Lewis Hamilton at Les Combes. Russell said: "I came out of turn one and I had no power. I got to the top of Eau Rouge with zero percent battery and I was going slower than a Formula 2 car and I got overtaken by three drivers. It left me totally vulnerable."
Lack of power left Russell “slower than a Formula 2 car” at start
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Mekies on Red Bull rear wing fix for Hungarian Grand Prix
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies says the team will “have a fix” for its Macarena rear wing for the Hungarian Grand Prix after reverting to its old-specification rear wing for the Belgian Grand Prix. Mekies said: "It was mechanical, and it was two different things. So two different mechanical issues. We will have a fix for Budapest."
Red Bull provide latest 'Macarena' wing update after Max Verstappen crashes
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Piastri on engine regulations and computer-controlled qualifying
Oscar Piastri says the current F1 engine regulations mean qualifying can be decided by computer-controlled energy management, calling it “a pretty crap way of going racing”, as he defended George Russell’s criticism after Russell struggled with straight-line speed at the Belgian Grand Prix. Piastri said: "I know George has had a lot of issues over the weekend, and speaking to some others, it is a similar story. When you've got qualifying grids decided by computers behaving or misbehaving, that is a pretty crap way of going racing, so [Russell] is obviously going to exaggerate it and make it look a lot worse."
Oscar Piastri ponders George Russell 'exaggeration' in 'pretty crap' F1 assessment
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Related stories (2)
Piastri blasts F1 engine software: ‘It's a crap way of going racing’
Oscar Piastri frustrated over grid being 'decided by computers behaving or misbehaving'
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