You can be a seven-time world champion, the best driver in history, and make a rookie mistake.
While battling with Max Verstappen at the head of the race at the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna, Sunday afternoon in Italy, Lewis Hamilton was almost inexplicably found in the background.
Inexplicably for a pilot of his stature.
By wanting to overtake George Russell's Williams in a wet track area during the second GP of the season, the 36-year-old Briton was surprised to make a mistake.
A small but terrible mistake for the Mercedes driver who, in the battle with his great rival from the Red Bull team, got inside to pass in front of the late Williams.
His Silver Arrow sped straight into the gravel pit, ending its race by hitting the wall.
Hamilton in the gravel ❗️
The Englishman brakes too late in turn 7. He has to reverse to resume the track with the broken wing 😯 # ImolaGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/8x1wGhbf9n
- CANAL + F1® (@ CanalplusF1) April 18, 2021
First winner of the season three weeks ago in Bahrain, author of his 99th pole position of his career on Saturday, Hamilton was "saved" by the accident - fortunately more impressive on a material level than human - which intervened in the stride between George Russell and his teammate Valtteri Bottas which turned the Italian track into a battlefield.
The red flag was released on lap 34, and the race was interrupted for a long time.
The four-time defending champion started again from ninth position once the race started again, with a new wing and can still move up the rankings.
A lesser evil for those who had, to get out of the sandbox, to reverse which one wonders if it is really authorized.
