Sebastian Vettel insisted championship rival Lewis Hamilton "brake-checked" him before their clash under the Safety Car during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
On lap 19, with Hamilton managing the pace in anticipation of the Safety Car returning to the pits and the race restarting, Vettel slammed into the back of his Mercedes at Turn 15. The damage was not big enough for major damage but incenced Vettel, who then drove alongside Hamilton, waved his right arm and drove into the side of the No.44 car.
Hamilton led away at the restart in question but after a restart was forced into a pit stop for a loose headrest, dropping him from the lead. Vettel was given a 10-second stop go penalty for dangerous driving but emerged ahead of Hamilton, where he would stay until they crossed the line fourth and fifth at the end of the race.
After the conclusion of the grand prix, Vettel insisted Hamilton had hit the brakes after accelerating, known in racing as a "brake test".
When asked by Sky Sports after the race if he considered it dangerous driving on his part, he replied: "Nothing happened did it?"
He was then pressed on the fact he had driven into Hamilton's car, and said: "He brake checked me as well so what do you expect?"
Vettel went on to clarify his remarks, saying: "I am sure he did not do it on purpose but for sure it was not the right move. If I am struggling then people at the back are struggling even more. I don't think it was necessary, I had damage, he risked damage. He's done something similar a couple of years ago in China with the restart, it's just not the way to do it I think."
At the end of the interview, having avoided mentioning his side-swipe into Hamilton, he was again asked what he thought about the contact, saying: "Yeah, I ran in the back of him...."