George Russell suffered a second retirement of a difficult F1 season following a collision with former Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Along the Kemmel Straight, the usual melée unfolded as the drivers jostled for position on the long run down into the Les Combes chicane.
Running fourth in his Ferrari after passing on the Kemmel Straight, Hamilton appeared to have nowhere to go through Les Combes due to another car in front of him as Russell tried to reclaim the position around the outside.
As Russell cut across, the front-left of Hamilton's SF-16 collided with the right-rear of Russell's W17, sending the latter into a half-spin into the gravel where his car became beached, sparking a safety car.
Russell into the race at the Spa-Francorchamps with a 25-point deficit to championship leader and team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who led after the first lap from pole as the safety car was summoned.
The stewards opted to investigate the incident to determine if Hamilton was at fault.
The race resumed at the end of lap four.
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