Lewis Hamilton was accused of being “dangerous and disrespectful” after winning Sunday’s British Grand Prix following a first-lap crash that left Max Verstappen complaining he had been “taken out”.
Hamilton attempted to overtake Verstappen on Copse corner on the first lap. Verstappen refused to yield. The two touched wheels and the Red Bull went careening off the track and into the barrier. Hamilton drove on with just a broken wheel rim.
Verstappen tweeted from hospital: “Glad I’m ok. Very disappointed with being taken out like this.”
Hamilton said after the race: “I don’t feel he needs to be aggressive as he is. I would never back down from anyone. I will not be bullied into being less aggressive. We needed the points. He left a gap and I went for it.”
Stewards imposed a 10 second-penalty on Hamilton, with Verstappen adding in his tweet: “The penalty given does not help us and doesn’t do justice to the dangerous move Lewis made on track.
“Watching the celebrations while still in hospital is disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behaviour but we move on.”