Sebastian Vettel has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s “silly” accusation that he won the British Grand Prix following underhand tactics by Ferrari.
Hamilton fought his way back from last place to finish second after Vettel’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen collided with his Mercedes on the opening lap.
Hamilton afforded Raikkonen space at the right-handed third turn during the frenetic Silverstone race, but the Finn locked up, before his left-front tyre thudded into the right-rear of Hamilton’s Mercedes. The Englishman was sent into a spin, and he re-joined the track at the back of the pack.
11 races to go. 11 more opportunities to make our mark on this incredible season of @F1!
Next stop, Germany… We’re coming home! ??? pic.twitter.com/cpUelfphH0
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) July 8, 2018
The stewards had no trouble in declaring Raikkonen as the guilty party. He was slapped with a 10-second penalty and two points on his drivers’ licence.
After Vettel’s collision with Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas in France, Sunday’s coming together marked the second time in just three races that a Ferrari car has hit a Mercedes.
“Interesting tactics from their side,” Hamilton, who dropped eight championship points behind Vettel, said on the podium.
Thank you so much for the support throughout the weekend, your amazing presence really helped me today. I used every ounce of energy fighting up the grid. We’ll take this result on the chin and move onwards and upwards. We win and we lose together #TeamLH ? @F1 @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/InZr9W6j8H
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) July 8, 2018
Later, when asked if he felt the move by Raikkonen was deliberate, the Brit replied: “All I would say is that in two races the Ferraris have taken out one of the Mercedes.
“A five-second penalty (for Vettel in France) and 10-second penalty here spoils our race. It is a lot of points that Valtteri and I have lost in those two scenarios.”
He added: “In the future, we have got to position ourselves better so we are not exposed to the red cars because who knows when that is going to happen again.”
The move that gave Sebastian Vettel his first #BritishGP win since 2009 pic.twitter.com/era11IF5Ma
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 8, 2018
Responding to Hamilton’s remarks, Vettel said: “It’s quite silly to think anything that happened was deliberate.
“I would struggle to be that precise to take somebody out. In France, I lost my wing so I screwed my race.
“There wasn’t any intention and I find it a bit unnecessary to even go there.”
“I find it a bit unnecessary to even go there”
Lewis, Seb and Kimi give their reactions to that first-lap incident#BritishGP pic.twitter.com/FABsbL3qU5
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 8, 2018
Despite his breathless comeback, Hamilton was visibly furious with Raikkonen’s behaviour. The Englishman broke protocol by refusing to be interviewed after the race and headed straight for the podium green room.
Explaining his decision, Hamilton added: “I sweat my a**e off in that race. I pushed 1000 per cent with every bit of energy I had. I didn’t have anything left when I came in.
“I knew I had to fight with everything I had. I could see the fans every single lap, cheering, cheering, cheering! I can’t thank them enough…” ❤️@LewisHamilton ?? #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/TcRGJI3WUc
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) July 8, 2018
“People expect you to get out of the car and wave and smile. I gave everything I could, and I was struggling to stand.
“It’s so physical nowadays. It’s different when you’re in the lead and can control the pace, but I was coming from last. So, I didn’t have much to give at that time and needed to take a deep breath.”
