"Still destroyed his race and walked away unscathed" - Fans unimpressed with Mercedes calling Lewis Hamilton 'a class act' after Oscar Piastri clash

F1 fans did not agree with Mercedes calling Lewis Hamilton a 'class act' after his collision with Oscar Piastri as he later apologized to the rookie.

The Briton had collided with the McLaren driver in his pursuit of overtaking him during the 2023 Italian GP on Sunday. The seven-time world champion was clearly faster than the rookie Aussie as he was on a fresher set of medium tires in comparison with Piastri's older hard tires.

Piastri tried his best to keep the Mercedes driver behind for as long as possible but in the end, could not prevent the overtake. However, it was not a clean overtake as Lewis Hamilton banged his rear tires with Piastri's front and also caused damage to McLaren's front wing. He later apologized to the rookie for his mistake in the parc ferme.

Mercedes took to social media to give their take on the incident and called Hamilton a 'class act' for his gesture, tweeting:

"A class act. Lewis went straight to apologize to Oscar after their clash during the race."

However, F1 fans did not buy their take and poured their reactions on social media, with one fan claiming that Lewis Hamilton ruined Oscar Piastris' race:

"That doesn’t make it right! Still destroyed his race and walked away unscathed."

Here are some more reactions:

Lewis Hamilton shares his thoughts on their collision

The seven-time world champion, meanwhile, has stated that he enjoyed the battle with the McLaren driver until the end, but it was unfortunate that he misjudged the gap and had a collision with him.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Lewis Hamilton said:

"I enjoyed the battle I had at the end. It was a bit unfortunate and I misjudged the gap I had with Piastri right at the end. It was totally my fault and I went and apologized to him straight afterward and we move on."

Hamilton got a five-second penalty for the incident but Oscar Piastri said that he couldn't ask for anything more after the Briton's apology. He said:

"The incident with Lewis, he probably just crept over a bit more than he thought. The stewards gave out their verdict and he has apologized so there is nothing more I can ask for or do at that point."

The incident also denied McLaren an opportunity for a double-points finish on a weekend where they had looked competitive and had the opportunity to earn some points, and get closer in the battle for P2. For his involvement, Lewis Hamilton also got two penalty points added to his license.