Last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix was a rather routine affair for Max Verstappen, with the Red Bull driver running out as a comfortable winner despite being well down the grid at the start of the race.
It hammered home his position as the most dominant figure in the sport at the moment, overtaking the majority of the field on course for his ninth triumph of the 2022 season.
While there was little drama in terms of fighting for first place, there were some notable incidents early in the race. The one that drew the most attention was the collision involving Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, with the Spaniard labelling his former teammate as an 'idiot' over the team radio for his actions during the first lap.
Hamilton would be forced to retire from the race, with Alonso eventually finishing in fifth position.
Fernando Alonso apologises for Lewis Hamilton comments
There is plenty of history Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, dating back to their time as teammates at McLaren. However, both men attempted to downplay this incident in the days that followed.
Speaking to reporters ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix, Alonso said that the incident was overblown by the media, something he believes is far more common when a British driver is involved. He also said he will be more careful what he says over the team radio in the future.
First of all, it's Lewis, he's a champion, he's a legend of our time. And then when you say something, and I'm sorry to repeat this, against a British driver there is a huge media involvement after that.
They've been saying a lot of things to Checo (Red Bull's Sergio Perez), to (Ferrari's) Carlos (Sainz), to me. They say something to a Latin driver, everything is a little bit more fun.
When you say something to others, it's a little bit more serious. But anyway, yes I apologise. I was not thinking what I said...
It is something that you say with the heat of the moment, but nothing that I said is true. There are facts that are completely the opposite...
I will try to be quiet always in the radio and don't be part of a show that I don't agree (with)," he said.
All the things that are broadcast on the radio normally are a little bit spicy because the sport wants that spice into the race... I understand that.
Unfortunately the measure you will have to take to avoid broadcasting things in the heat of the moment is to stay quiet all of the time.
This was the first race of the season that Lewis Hamilton did not complete, having been the only driver to boast that record prior to the trip to Spa.
Despite this, he currently finds himself in sixth position in the driver's championship, one place behind teammate George Russell.
As for Alonso, he sits in ninth place during his final season at Alpine, with the 41-year old moving to Aston Martin for the 2023 season.
SEE ALSO: What Spa Taught Us About Max Verstappen And F1's Newest Dynasty
