18 June 2023 , 20:59
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Formula 1 stewards at the Canadian Grand Prix probed both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso for a pit lane incident during the race.
It happened in the early stages during a safety car period. That was caused by Hamilton's team-mate George Russell, who whacked into a wall to leave debris on the track.
Neither of them wasted the chance for a cheap pit stop. They had been duelling on the track and both Hamilton and Alonso dived into their respective garages for new tyres.
In their haste to get going again, they both came flying out of their grid boxes. The Aston Martin driver looked to have got away first, but the Mercedes squeezed ahead nonetheless.
They didn't make contact, but it was a close-run thing. Hamilton was told by his race engineer that he was "just ahead", but Alonso appeared not to agree as he seemed to wave a hand in frustration.
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The Spaniard got the last laugh, though. He overtook his old rival again out on the track and, despite nursing his brakes and fuel levels, was able to keep the Mercedes at bay to finish second.
The race director had noticed the pit lane near-miss and referred the incident to the stewards. It was investigated, but the FIA confirmed in a document that no action would be taken against either of the drivers.
Hamilton and Alonso came close to making contact in the pit lane (Sky Sports)The document read: "The Stewards reviewed external video and in-car video and audio evidence. We note that while Car 14 had to perform minor braking, in our view there was no risk of collision or the need for significant evasive action."
Both of them were happy after the race, though. Hamilton said: "It has been a great weekend for us. We are slowly chipping away. The Aston Martins took a little step ahead with the upgrades, but we are bringing more. But to just have this consistency is great."
And Alonso said of his own situation: "We were hoping to challenge the Red Bull a bit more, but we lost a place at the start with Lewis and it was a battle with Mercedes. Lewis was pushing the whole race so I didn't have one lap I could relax a little bit. It was a good battle."