Lewis Hamilton takes George Russell out in first lap Belgian GP chaos | F1 | Sport

George Russell was taken out of the first lap of the Belgian Grand Prix after a collision with Lewis Hamilton. It happened at the end of the long Kemmel Straight while all eyes were on a titantic duel for the lead. Max Verstappen had got the jump on Kimi Antonelli at the start but had slipped to third by turn five, Antonelli retaking the lead and Charles Leclerc also zooming past.

But behind them there was more drama as, at turn five, Russell went spinning off the track and into the gravel. He had been spun around by the Ferrari of Hamilton who was on the outside and a passenger as his front-left wheel slammed into the right-rear of the Mercedes. sending it into the gravel and out of the race.

The incident saw the race immediately neutralised before the safety car was deployed, to give marshals the time they needed to remove the stricken Mercedes from the gravel. Russell was swiftly out of the cockpit under his own power and had suffered no damage himself, other than to his mood as he will leave Belgium with zero points scored.

Championship leader Antonelli was left with the chance to double the gap between them in the title battle, with 25 points separating them heading into the Spa-Francorchamps race. Leclerc was running second at the time while Hamilton inherited fourth when Russell spun off the track, though the seven-time world champion was under investigation for causing that collision.

Hamilton was quick to jump on the radio after seeing Russell spin off the track following the contact between their two cars, adamant that he had been unable to avoid colliding with his former team-mate. “The car crossed over in front of me,” Hamilton said. “I was right behind another car so I had no front end.”

Speaking in commentary on Sky Sports F1, former racer Martin Brundle made clear his stance that Hamilton should not be penalised for his role in the incident. He said as he watched replays of what happened: “Russell, late on the brakes, goes around the outside of Lewis, gave Lewis, I have to say, racing room on the inside.

“You always have to be wary of the front tyres and full fuel loads in a situation like that. I think George did give him enough space but Lewis, obviously, has had a little slide across the track. It’s sort of six of one and half a dozen of the other. For me, that will be perceived as a racing incident, though it has been noted [by the stewards].”