ABU DHABI — Red Bull driver Alex Albon said Lewis Hamilton sent him a private message to apologise again after the pair collided while fighting for second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
Albon was running second and on target for the best result of his career when Hamilton made contact with him on the penultimate lap. The collision spun Albon to the back of the field, while Hamilton was able to recover and finish third, which later became seventh once a post-race penalty was applied.
Immediately after the chequered flag, Hamilton walked from his car in the top three enclosure to find Albon and apologise face to face, but the Red Bull driver revealed the six-time world champion later sent him a direct message on social media.
“Lewis was really good about it, he sent me a message on DMs so he was very apologetic,” Albon said. “But I don’t blame Lewis wholly, there are ways I could have avoided the crash, you could say.
“I was surprised to begin with, but I think it was just one of those things. Just the way it happens and the way the corner is and things like that, it’s more just about waiting really.
“It wasn’t always going to happen but there was a good chance it was going to happen very soon after that corner, into Turn 1 or whatever. So I think it was just the initial rush to overtake, it’s one of those things and it’s all gone now.”
Albon, who has now completed eight races with Red Bull since joining the team mid-season, said there were still positives to be drawn from the Brazil weekend.
“It was really the first time I could mix it with the top guys,” he said. “There were a lot of positives there, with the negative being the crash but really on the global outlook of the situation it was a good weekend. It hurts but there will be plenty more chances in the future.”