Motorsport

LEWIS HAMILTON has cooled his rift with rival Fernando Alonso by insisting he is trying to “be a better driver”.The seven-time world champion was blasted as “an idiot” by the Spaniard after they crashed on the first lap of last Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso slammed Lewis Hamilton down the team radio after his collision with the Mercedes driverCredit: AFP
Lewis Hamilton has not won a race this seasonCredit: Reuters
Fernando Alonso is a two time world championCredit: Splash
Alonso also accused Hamilton, saying he “only knows how to drive and start in first” in a petulant attack.
Hamilton accepted the blame for the incident that forced his retirement from the race despite being cleared by the stewards.
The 37-year-old then joked on social media that he’d offer Alonso a signed cap as a peace offering.
And the Alpine driver duly collected the hat ahead of this weekend’s Dutch GP after meeting Hamilton and clearing the air.
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Hamilton said: “It’s not a thing for me. It doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t really affect me in the slightest.
“With the cap it was just a little fun thing. It’s good to have fun sometimes with these things.
“For me, I am always trying to be a better driver.
“Also, I know there are a lot of young kids that are following me and it’s important the steps I try to take in my behaviour, so I am always trying to learn and be better.”
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A feud between the two is nothing new – when they were teammates at McLaren for one season in 2007 there were disputes that resulted in Alonso quitting the team.
Alonso has also tried to play down the rift and admitted in his apology that he spoke out of turn.
However, he said that there is always an inevitable backlash whenever a Latin driver criticises a British driver.
Alonso added: “Lewis is a champion, he’s a legend of our time. And then when you say something – and I’m sorry to repeat this – against a British driver, there is huge media involvement after that.
“They’ve been saying a lot of things to Checo [Sergio Perez], to Carlos [Sainz], to me.
“If you say something to a Latin driver, everything’s a little bit more fun. When you say something to others, it’s a little bit more serious.
“But anyway, yes, I apologise. I was not thinking about what I said.
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“I don’t think that there was much to blame in that moment, to be honest, looking at the replays and everything, because it’s a first lap incident, we are all very close together.”
The veteran also backtracked on his comments that Hamilton only knows how to race when he starts at the front.
Alonso said: “It’s something that you say in the heat of the moment. But as I said, nothing that I said is true, or there are facts that are completely the opposite.
“I have huge respect. I have absolutely no problems with him.
“The heat of the moment and the adrenaline of the moment, fighting for finally top two, top three, made me say those comments that I should not say.”
Hamilton is looking to break his duck at this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix and will NOT be taking engine penalties as it stands.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is the clear favourite, with F1 bosses saying his home race is a 300,000 sell-out over the weekend. 
Max Verstappen won at Spa last time out after Lewis Hamilton crashedCredit: Getty More

LEWIS HAMILTON revealed that former McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso was his toughest ever F1 opponent – not Max Verstappen.Mercedes star Hamilton and Red Bull ace Verstappen have made no secret of their disdain for each other in recent years.
Max Verstappen isn’t Lewis Hamilton’s biggest ever F1 rival despite their long-standing feudCredit: EPA
Hamilton reserved that title for ex-McLaren Fernando Alonso instead due to the pair’s many clashes over the yearsCredit: Rex
And their feud reached breaking point last season when Verstappen pipped Hamilton to the world title.
A flurry of barbs were traded between the pair, and this season has been no different.
However, despite his bitter feud with Verstappen, Hamilton admitted Alpine driver Alonso has given him his hardest battle to date.
And here SunSport takes a closer look at five moments where Alonso caused Hamilton a headache when they faced each other.
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Australia 2007 – Hamilton passing Alonso in the first corner of his first ever race when they were team-mates
Hamilton entered the Australia GP as a rookie alongside seasoned vet Alonso who had come into the campaign off the back of winning consecutive world titles at Renault.
But Hamilton quickly showed he wasn’t phased by Alonso’s achievements when he overtook him on the first corner to move into second.

He even managed to keep Alonso at bay for the majority of the race before the Spaniard regained second spot after a pit stop.
Alonso held on to the position, and Hamilton finished in third, earning his first podium finish.
And the stage was set for an ongoing rivalry between the pair.
Hamilton overtook Alonso in his first ever F1 race for McLaren in 2007 at the Australia GPCredit: Alamy
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Hungary 2007 – Alonso going slowly out of McLaren pit lane in attempt to deny Hamilton pole
By this time Hamilton had found his stride at McLaren, and he and Alonso were battling it out for the top spot.
Things were so tense between them that Alonso resorted to dirty tactics ahead of the Hungary GP to try and gain an edge over Hamilton.
As Hamilton waited for his team-mate to finish refueling at the pit-box, Alonso decided to loiter in the spot longer than needed in a pre-meditated effort to slow the Brit down.
His plan initially worked as Hamilton ran out of time to start his final lap due to Alonso’s scheming.
But Alonso’s deviant tactics backfired when the situation was reviewed by the stewards who handed him a five-place grid penalty, whilst simultaneously promoting Hamilton to P1.
Alonso took his feud with Hamilton a step further when he intentionally delayed the Brit from refuelling at the Hungary GPCredit: Rex
2007 – Hilarious sauna advert
As Hamilton and Alonso’s battle raged on the track, they made light of their rivalry in a hilarious advert.
Throughout the advert, the pair contested everything from who could get the attention of a female first, to who would check into their hotel room before the other.
It even got physical between the McLaren counterparts when Alonso rugby tackled Hamilton to prevent him getting to his room first.
But it was the advert’s final scene that had the audience in stitches as they had a stand-off in the sauna with no one wanting to quit first despite clearly needing to exit.
They then had to endure even more heat when Mercedes driver Mika Hakkinen entered the scene to raise the temperature dial.
The advert concluded with the words: “Racing is a state of mind.”
The pair took their bickering to the big screen in an advert which showed them in a hilarious sceneCredit: Lions LL YouTube channel, Heineken
Hungary 2021 – Alonso holds Hamilton off for 10 laps to deny him victory
Fast forward to last summer, Hamilton’s rivalry with Alonso had died down and the Brit had cemented himself as the sport’s No1 driver.
But although they were no longer fighting for a title, Alonso found a way to make sure he had a say in where the title would end up by hampering Hamilton’s chances in Hungary.
Alonso managed to keep Hamilton behind him for 10 laps in the race that saw his Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon clinch a shock victory.
Alonso admitted after the race that he intentionally did so to help Ocon win.
And even Hamilton conceded that he would’ve done the same despite initially being angry with Alonso’s tactics.
Alonso caused Hamilton a headache again last season when he held the Brit off for ten laps while his Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon clinched victory in HungaryCredit: Splash
Belgium 2022 – Hamilton drives into back of Alonso and refuses to apologise
The bickering pair’s feud reared its head once again this year at the Belgium GP when Hamilton crashed into Alonso and refused to apologise.
Hamilton was forced to retire from the race when the impact from the crash caused him to fly into the air.
And although he admitted the incident was his fault, the Brit stopped short of giving Alonso an apology.
Alonso was far from amused by what transpired and labelled Hamilton an “idiot.”
But Alonso’s dig was the least of Hamilton’s worries as he revealed he nearly broke his back in the crash and is lucky to be alive.
And they’ll get the chance to battle it out on the track once again on Sunday afternoon at the Dutch Grand Prix at the Circuit Zandvoort.
Alonso called Hamilton an “idiot” for crashing into him during their latest clash at the Belgium GPCredit: AP More