Fernando Alonso says a sudden loss of downforce while chasing the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg caused his spin in F1's sprint event at Spa on Saturday.
Alonso launched his sprint in the lower tier of the midfield from P15 behind the Safety Car which led the field for four exploratory laps in the race's early wet conditions before a rolling start kicked off proceedings.
But on the third racing lap, ran wide at Pouhon and spun wildly in the run-off area before his Aston Martin came to rest in the gravel trap just inches from the outside barrier.
It was a rare mistake on the part of the F1 veteran but one that he immediately owned up to.
"I was following very closely behind Nico at the entry to Pouhon. I lost downforce, touched the white line, and just lost the car," he explained.
"Trying to find grip - and guessing the grip levels in each corner - was tricky. It was very slippery, and it was my mistake."
Fortunately, the Spaniard's Aston was spared any damage.
Hulkenberg later joked that Alonso's off was "karma" for a run-in between the pair when Alonso rejoined the track after his pit stop and veered into the path of the Haas as the pair raced down Eau Rouge, forcing the German to take evading action.
The move was frowned upon by the stewards and Alonso was investigated for the maneuver, but ultimately the officials cleared the Aston of any wrongdoing.
"Alonso was exiting the pits and moved over to the left, causing car 27 to have to take action to avoid a collision," stated the stewards report.
"Alonso explained that he had no visibility to the rear at the time, and that he had driven on the far left of the track at that location on every lap in order to maximise his forward visibility.
"While the Stewards accept these facts, the move from the right to the left in this case, while slower than the cars that had remained on track, caused the potential for a collision."
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