F1: Anger between Hamilton and Alonso

Aug 6 2007 Western Mail

THE war of words that erupted between bitter McLaren rivals Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso has now degenerated into simmering silence.

Following a flawless display to clinch a pole-to-flag victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton revealed the reigning world champion is no longer speaking to him.

An uneasy relationship that has existed since a contentious Monaco Grand Prix at the end of May has now plummeted to an all-time low.

Alonso’s deliberate act in impeding Hamilton during qualifying – and the feud that followed – has put an end to any camaraderie that still existed between the pair.

If team boss Ron Dennis is to reconcile the team-mates, it will be a severe test of his man-management skills.

For his part, Hamilton insists he does not hold grudges, leaving the ball in Alonso’s court as to whether they will be on speaking terms again.

“My respect for Fernando remains the same,” insisted Hamilton. “I think when you grow up and see someone who is as successful as you want to be, be it Fernando or Michael Schumacher, you have to respect them for what they have achieved.

“But since yesterday he doesn’t seem to be speaking to me, so I don’t know if he has a problem. I hope he still speaks to me. I’m easy to get on with. I don’t hold grudges over anyone. But if he doesn’t want to, then that’s for him to decide.

“If I walk in and I see him then I will speak to him, but I am not going to go looking for him and make him feel better.” The 22-year-old openly concedes to making a mistake in qualifying, and has since apologised for his actions.

Hamilton was supposed to have let Alonso by at the start of the final 15-minute session. But fearing he would compromise his own position, he opted against such action, despite repeated calls to do so by the team over the radio.

In the closing stages, Alonso was put on hold in the pits for 20 seconds by the team after taking on fresh rubber.

With Hamilton queueing behind him, he waited a further 10 seconds before exiting, the time proving enough to prevent Hamilton from setting out on a final hot lap.

A furious, four-letter exchange of views unfolded over the radio between Hamilton and Dennis after Alonso went on to clinch pole. But, following an investigation race stewards imposed a five-place grid penalty on Alonso, while also denying the team any points won from the race for the constructors’ championship.

So, while Hamilton may talk of respect for Alonso, it appears the esteem in which he once held the Spaniard has been lowered, with an accusing finger pointed at the 26-year-old.

Asked for his explanation as to what unfolded after the incident, Hamilton replied, “They (the team) just asked me why I didn’t do what they wanted me to and so I told them.

“I said, ‘I made a mistake, I apologise. It won’t happen again. But it has happened, let’s forget about it and move on. We’re both on the front row, so we can still smile.’

“I thought because of the argument I had with Ron over the radio, and he was obviously angry, he was perhaps teaching me a lesson, so I just took it on the chin.

“Ron wasn’t very happy yesterday, but we have to be professional, so we sat down and we spoke about it,” added Hamilton. “I told him my views, and he respected those, so we came to a mutual understanding and started with a clean state from today.”

Alonso, starting from sixth on the grid, managed to finish fourth behind the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld in his BMW Sauber.

With Hamilton claiming the third victory of his rookie season, the gap to Alonso is now seven points, with Raikkonen 20 adrift and team-mate Felipe Massa a further point down after finishing 13th.