Lewis Hamilton accepted full blame for finishing fourth at the Belgian Grand Prix, saying a practice crash that damaged his Ferrari created a chain of issues including a five-second penalty and a pit-stop incident.
Hamilton crashed in the final moments of FP3 at Spa-Francorchamps when he carried too much speed through Turn 13. The incident damaged the rear of his SF-26 car and led to a slower qualifying session after mechanics repaired it.
He received a five-second penalty for a clash with George Russell at the race start and also hit a mechanic during a pit stop. Hamilton told Sky that the issues created a domino effect from his own mistake.
"I take full responsibility really for the fourth place I ended up getting because I damaged the car," he said. Without the damage, Hamilton believed Ferrari could have challenged for victory.
He praised the team's strategy and pit stops while noting improvements to the car ahead of the next race.
