Watch: Lewis Hamilton hit by Sergio Perez twice at the start of 2023 F1 Japanese GP

Lewis Hamilton was hit twice by Sergio Perez at the start of the 2023 F1 Japanese GP on Sunday (September 24). As many fans know, the start of an F1 race can be the most intense moment for all the drivers, as nearly all 20 of them are beside each other going into Turn 1. Something similar happened with the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers.

At the start of the race, Lewis Hamilton had a much better launch than Sergio Perez, who was right in front of him. Hence, he moved to the left side of the track to overtake the Red Bull driver.

Meanwhile, Sergio Perez was side-by-side with Charles Leclerc on the right when Carlos Sainz decided to squeeze himself between the two. This caused Sergio Perez to force his way to the left-hand side.

You can watch the action unfold here:

At one point, all four cars of Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, and Lewis Hamilton were side-by-side right before approaching Turn 1.

Since Hamilton was the left-most car in the row and Perez was squeezed by Sainz, Checo collided with Hamilton. The Mercedes driver was hit twice by Checo, with the first hit being subtle but the second one was powerful enough to push Hamilton off the track and into the grass.

Since it was the start of the race, the incident was only noted by the race stewards, but Sergio Perez did not get any penalties for it. However, he still had a horrendous race as he retired from it due to damage, had to serve a 10-second penalty for other incidents, and even received four penalty points on his license.

---

Lewis Hamilton was focused on beating Ferrari in constructors' championship rather than fighting George Russell for positions

Lewis Hamilton recently took a subtle dig at George Russell for not being in the same position in the drivers' championship and how they should focus on helping Mercedes retain second place in the constructors' championship.

After the 2023 F1 Japanese GP, Hamilton stated that his main goal was to beat both Ferraris and secure decent points for Merecdes.

Speaking to F1TV, he said:

"Well, I mean, for sure we will talk about offline, it's the best way to do it. Our ultimate goal is to try and get ahead of the Ferraris and that's what my goal was today. And it's to beat the Ferraris in the constructors' championship, that's all that matters."

Furthermore, the seven-time world champion stated that Russell should have played the team game and switched positions sooner since they are not fighting for drivers' championship with each other. He concluded:

"We are not fighting for drivers' positions in the championship. Because, firstly we are not close, and secondly we are not fighting for the [drivers' championship's top spot].

Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in the race, while George Russell ended up seventh.