MONZA, Italy (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton apologised to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on Sunday for an Italian Grand Prix collision that dumped the Australian rookie out of the points after he had to pit for a new front wing.
Mercedes’ seven-times world champion, the sport’s most successful driver who finished sixth despite a five-second penalty imposed by stewards as well as two penalty points, accepted he was at fault.
Piastri had been in eighth place when the pair made contact as Hamilton moved to overtake the McLaren driver 10 laps from the end at the entry to the Variante della Roggia.
“It was a bit unfortunate and I misjudged the gap I had with Piastri right at the end,” Hamilton told reporters.
“It was totally my fault and I went and apologised to him straight afterwards and we move on.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff praised Hamilton for accepting his error on an afternoon when some drivers used radio exchanges to try and put the blame on others.
“He’s very sportsmanlike of these things. And he is the only one that I see out there admitting and saying ‘got this wrong’. We just had a chat (and he said) ‘didn’t see him on the right and it goes on me.’
“Pretty much everyone is otherwise complaining and moaning just to try not to get a penalty.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
