Hamilton and Maldonado revisit their collision
Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Pastor Maldonado take responsibility for the incident that occurred at the exit of the La Source hairpin after the end of the second part of qualifying.
The Belgian Grand Prix qualifying session was marked by an accident between Lewis Hamilton and Pastor Maldonado at the very end of Q2 when the two drivers collided just after the Source hairpin: “I was coming out of turn number one and I saw Maldonado approaching at high speed. He was going to pass, he was beside me and I didn’t move at all but he slid towards me,” explained the British driver. “I don’t know if it was intentional or not but I think we will soon find out. I just said that I would sit here and wait for the stewards to call me.”
The two drivers had already had a run-in in Monaco, and the British driver had also made harsh comments towards Maldonado – and Massa – before apologizing for them.
For his part, Pastor Maldonado favors the “racing” incident: « It was a difficult moment and there was no reason, from my side or Lewis’s, to have a collision. It was no longer raining and we need to understand what happened. There was no reason to collide after the checkered flag ».
A few moments earlier, when he was at risk of being stuck in Q2, Lewis Hamilton had made an aggressive overtake at the bus stop chicane on the same Maldonado. However, the Briton also claims that once the checkered flag is down, there should have been no incident: « As soon as the flag is out and the red lights are on, there’s no more need to race. There should never be an incident, and unfortunately, there was one. »
This could have had consequences for the 2008 world champion, who ultimately qualified in Q3, with his car bearing the marks of this collision: « The front wing was quite damaged, my sidepod and front suspension too I think. […] Fortunately, the guys did a great job fixing everything. »
The Briton nevertheless signed the second-fastest time in these qualifications but could start from further back if the FIA were to get involved in the matter, just like Pastor Maldonado who could not do better than 16th. It remains to be seen if the two teams concerned will receive permission from the stewards to carry out repairs on the two drivers’ cars, currently placed in Parc Fermé.
