Hamilton unhappy with penalty after Russell clash: 'It was a racing incident'

The seven-time world champion closed up rapidly on his compatriot under braking for Les Combes, clipping the rear of the W17 with his front-left wheel and sending it into the gravel, forcing Russell into retirement.

Speaking to GPblog and others after the race, Hamilton explained that Russell appeared to lose power before moving around the outside, leading to minor contact between the two. He added that his own car sustained damage and expressed his disappointment at seeing Russell’s race compromised, before saying he did the best he could despite the damage and the penalty.

As for the penalty, Hamilton said he believed the clash was simply a racing incident and did not think it deserved a sanction. He added that he planned to message Russell later to apologise, stressing that the last thing any driver wants is to collide with a teammate or a former team they have great respect for.

"I think it was a racing incident, so I didn't think that it should be a penalty, but it is what it is. I'll text him later on because we won't get to see (each other). Everyone rushes out it here. I was thinking that's the last thing you ever want to do is come together with your teammate or with your old team who you highly respect."

Speaking to the media, including GPblog, shortly after his retirement, Russell revealed that a battery issue at Turn 1 left him without electrical deployment and turbo assistance for the run up to Eau Rouge, describing the situation as dangerous after he was immediately swallowed up by several cars.

Reflecting on the collision with Hamilton, the Mercedes driver said he believed it was simply a racing incident and stressed that he did not think the Ferrari driver had acted recklessly or intentionally. While acknowledging Hamilton bore more responsibility for the contact, Russell insisted he was mainly frustrated at having been left in such a vulnerable position because of the technical problem.