Alonso and Vettel defend Rosberg after the collision with Hamilton

More than ten days after the collision between the two Mercedes drivers at the Belgian Grand Prix, some drivers on the grid have been questioned about this incident and are defending Nico Rosberg.

Since that infamous second round, a lot of water has flowed under the bridges. In the meantime, Rosberg endured boos and jeers on the Spa podium, Lewis Hamilton accused his teammate of deliberately hitting him, based on statements confirmed by Mercedes but interpreted differently by Toto Wolff.

Finally, last week, a meeting between all parties resulted in an apology from the championship leader (although he initially claimed he did not feel responsible), a sanction, presumably financial, and a Mercedes statement reiterating the team’s intention to continue the rest of the season without team orders.

Despite everything, Fernando Alonso believes, for Sky Sports, that Nico Rosberg cannot be accused of having acted deliberately: « It is impossible for Nico, from the cockpit, to be so precise with his wing to cut another car’s tire. You should be a surgeon with that kind of precision, » jokes the Ferrari driver before continuing: « The bad side of the incident was for Hamilton, but it could have been the opposite: Hamilton’s tire could have held up, Nico would have had to change his front wing, and his race would have been over. »

An opinion shared by another world champion, Sebastian Vettel. In the columns of *Sport Bild*, the Red Bull driver conducts a quick cost/benefit analysis to dismiss the hypothesis of a deliberate act: « I think it’s just a racing incident and that a discussion on intent should not take place. No one intentionally risks losing their wing, and no one deliberately makes themselves a target for accusations of unsporting driving. »

In the same publication, Nico Hülkenberg also comes to the defense of his compatriot: « Nico did nothing wrong. He tried to overtake because he thought he was the fastest. »

As a reminder, other drivers, like Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, or the recently retired Mark Webber, expressed a contrary opinion, often stating that Nico Rosberg’s maneuver was impossible to execute successfully.