Fernando Alonso has diffused tensions, that emerged between himself and Lewis Hamilton after their first lap incident during the Belgian Grand Prix last Sunday, by apologising for his ill-tempered outburst.
The pair collided as they hurtled into Les Combes, at the end of the long Kemmel straight, Hamilton trying a bold move on the outside, misjudged the room he left Alonso. The Mercedes and Alpine made contact, with the sliver car bouncing into the air before Lewis was forced to retire the car.
At this point Alonso said over the radio:“What an idiot closing the door from the outside. I mean, we have a mega start, but this guy only knows how to drive and start in first.”
The following day Hamilton teased with a photo of a Mercedes cap and a note " To Fernando" on it which suggested a feud between the former McLaren teammates and great Champions of F1, the last of the Old Guard.
Of course, ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, Alonso was tackled by the media about his statement, to which he replied: "First of all, Lewis is a champion, he's a legend of our time.
"I'm sorry to repeat this but when you say something against a British driver, there is huge media involvement afterwards. If you say something to a Latin driver, it's a little bit more fun. When you say something to the others, it's a bit more serious.
"Anyway yes, I apologise. I was not thinking when I spoke. I don't think there was much to blame in the moment, honestly, looking at the replays and everything it's a first-lap incident, we were all very close together."
Alonso: I have huge respect for Lewis, I will approach him and say sorry
However, it could be argued that the truth came out in the heat of battle, Alonso believing Hamilton only capable of winning in good cars, but the Spaniard denied it: "No, no, I don't believe... It's not that I believe or don't believe, there are facts that it is not like that.
"So it's something that you say in the heat of the moment. But as I said, nothing that I said is true, or there are facts that show completely the opposite. So I have huge respect."
As for the way forward, Alonso explained: "Hopefully when we are doing the TV pen [interviews] I'll approach him and apologise if he understands. I have absolutely no problems with Lewis and as I said, I have huge respect for him."
Team radio tends to bring out the best and the worst in drivers, with F1 TV directors able to broadcast whatever the drivers say, which in this instance caught Alonso venting his disdain for the winner of 103 Grands Prix and a seven-time F1 World Champion.
Things are said in the heat of battle which should remain on the battlefield
Shedding insight into the mindest in the cockpit, Alonso elaborated: "In the heat and adrenaline of the moment, finally fighting for top two, top three, made me make those comments which I should not have said but at the same time, as I said also after the race, I said that it was a race incident in my opinion.
"When you say something on the radio, in the moment you think you're talking to your engineer, so you are preparing the strategy. Obviously, one should be aware that it is broadcast.
"It's like if someone makes a hard tackle or something in football, at that moment you say something to your teammate, or your defender or wherever, that is not broadcast," reasoned the 41-year-old veteran.
Alonso also said he would choose his words carefully in future: "Sure. I will be very quiet in the radio. It's a sport that has this thing that is broadcast, things that you should be in a little bit of privacy with your team. So yeah, I will try to be quiet always in the radio, and don't be part of a show that I don't agree with."
Should team radio be broadcast during a race?
Asked if driver-to-pitwall messages should be broadcast, Alonso replied: "I don't think so, as I said, that is the only sport, in football, in tennis, in whatever, you can have your moments of privacy with your team, and you prepare everything.
"But I know that this is part of the show, and as I said, all the things that are broadcast in the radio normally are a little bit spicy, because the sport wants that spice into the race."
Infamously, Alonso and Hamilton were teammates at McLaren in 2007, the Briton's rookie year and the Spaniard a double World Champ. What transpired is well documented but in a nutshell, the pair were toxic together.
McLaren sent Alonso packing after a year, and Hamilton went on to win his first title with the Woking outfit during the Ron Dennis reign. Since then the tensions thawed considerably and these days there is mutual respect between the pair until they collide of course!
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