03 June 2023 , 14:56
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Lewis Hamilton slammed team-mate George Russell for a "really dangerous" move which caused damage to his Mercedes.
It happened towards the end of Q2 as the two British drivers were trying to complete their final flying laps. Russell had the DRS open while Hamilton had a nice slipstream behind a car in front of him, meaning they both arrived at a corner at around the same time.
But Russell did not leave enough room for his team-mate on the track, forcing Hamilton onto the grass. There was also contact between them which ripped off the right front wing endplate off the more experienced Brit's car, and which left him very unhappy.
He made as much clear over the radio as he reported the problem it had created. He said: "George just backed off. That's really dangerous. I might have some damage on the car."
Fortunately for Hamilton, he had already gone fast enough to secure his place in Q3 and was able to get a front wing replacement for the final part of qualifying. Russell, who was apologetic over the radio, was not so lucky as he only went 12th fastest.
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Hamilton fared fairly well in Q3, going fifth fastest on the road and perhaps expecting to rise to fourth with the threat of a penalty hanging over Pierre Gasly ahead of him. He was not the highest Brit up the order, though, with Lando Norris surprising even himself by steering his McLaren to third on the grid.
Hamilton's front wing endplate was ripped off by the contact (Sky Sports)Max Verstappen is the unsurprising pole-sitter and never looked likely to be beaten by anyone during the session. He also topped the timesheets in all three practice sessions and so the Dutchman is just a strong race away from ultimate dominance of this entire Grand Prix weekend.
His Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez did not fare so well. The Mexican really needed a strong showing in qualifying after leaving Monaco last weekend pointless, but has his work cut out again on Sunday after qualifying only 11th, sharing the sixth row with Russell.