Lewis Hamilton says he has now completely cleared the air with former McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso, in the wake of the explosive safety car controversy in Valencia and the pair’s subsequent public war of words.
In the immediate aftermath of the European GP, Alonso argued that the race had been ‘manipulated’ in Lewis’s favour. The Briton illegally overtook the safety car on his way around to the pits for new tyres, and effectively got off scot-free due to the stewards’ lengthy deliberations and what Ferrari regarded as an excessively lenient drive-through penalty.
A ‘bitter’ Ferrari described the incident as a ‘scandal’ and an ‘injustice’, while Alonso claimed the bottle that appeared on the circuit mid-race – posing a genuine safety concern until it was removed by a marshal – was a sign of fans’ ‘disgust’ at the developments.
Hamilton subsequently accused Alonso of suffering from ‘sour grapes’ but, like the Spaniard, has since mellowed his stance, revealing that the two drivers have now contacted one another to put the matter behind them.
“We are in touch – he has my number and I have his number,” the 25-year-old confirmed. “I just messaged him to see how he was doing and he said everything’s cool. He knows how the racing world works, and this is a tough year.”
In the immediate aftermath of the European GP, Alonso argued that the race had been ‘manipulated’ in Lewis’s favour. The Briton illegally overtook the safety car on his way around to the pits for new tyres, and effectively got off scot-free due to the stewards’ lengthy deliberations and what Ferrari regarded as an excessively lenient drive-through penalty.
A ‘bitter’ Ferrari described the incident as a ‘scandal’ and an ‘injustice’, while Alonso claimed the bottle that appeared on the circuit mid-race – posing a genuine safety concern until it was removed by a marshal – was a sign of fans’ ‘disgust’ at the developments.
Hamilton subsequently accused Alonso of suffering from ‘sour grapes’ but, like the Spaniard, has since mellowed his stance, revealing that the two drivers have now contacted one another to put the matter behind them.
“We are in touch – he has my number and I have his number,” the 25-year-old confirmed. “I just messaged him to see how he was doing and he said everything’s cool. He knows how the racing world works, and this is a tough year.”
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