Hamilton, who turned up to Belgium in a bizarre pink knitted balaclava, had a nightmare first lap on Sunday. Hamilton’s car came crashing down after soaring through the air – but he continued trying to drive. Shocked Merc chiefs quickly shouted “stop, stop stop!” to force Hamilton into an early exit. Hamilton looked like a lonely man as he marched his way back to the paddocks. Hamilton’s day got worse as he saw arch-rival Max Verstappen clinch victory in Belgium despite starting in 14th. As for Hamilton, he admitted the crash with Alonso was indeed his fault after being branded an “idiot” by the Spaniard. Hamilton conceded: “I’m looking back at the footage and he was in my blind spot and I didn’t leave him enough space.

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