• Belgian Grand Prix

Alonso 'not angry' over crash

Romain Grosjean was later suspended for one race for the incident © Sutton Images

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Fernando Alonso insisted that he is not angry at Romain Grosjean for the crash that took him out of the Belgian Grand Prix at the first corner.

Grosjean and Lewis Hamilton came together on the run down to turn one, with both losing control after the incident and Grosjean ploughing across the front of Alonso's Ferrari. When asked if he was angry at Grosjean for the incident - for which he was later given a one-race suspension - Alonso said he wasn't but did reference his first-lap record this season.

"No I'm not angry," Alonso said. "I think no-one is doing this on purpose. I think they were fighting, two aggressive drivers at the start - Lewis and Romain - and this time it was us in the wrong place at the wrong moment and we were hit. It's true also that in 12 races Romain has had seven crashes at the start, so…"

Alonso said he was fine after the crash, and relieved not to have been more severely injured with the start of the Italian Grand Prix weekend just five days away.

"I feel OK, just a little bit of pain in my back because of the hit, but whether or not there's a problem it's just a shame we could not continue the race. But I didn't know what happened until I saw on TV because it was difficult to imagine how the hit can be so big or how quick a car can be and hit you. So after seeing on TV I saw Grosjean and Lewis touch each other; they lose control and then it was in front of us.

"So disappointing because of the race points lost but also lucky because in five days I can be in the car in Monza, because looking at the images we were turning in so you can have a problem in your hand or even in your head because the car was so close. I think we broke everything on the top area of the car, so it was lucky in that aspect."

Asked to describe the incident from his point of view, Alonso explained why he took a while to get out of the car after the crash.

"The first thing was Maldonado, and I was surprised because it was still the red lights and he was already P3 or second! So it was a big jump start I think, but the start was good; we overtook the two Saubers and we were in third position. I started turning in and then I felt like a train coming. A big, big hit and I stayed in the car for a few seconds because I had back pain, and then there was a little bit of fire in the car so they sprayed the extinguisher. I decided to jump out because I could not breathe because there was smoke there, and then now we are here."

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