Lewis Hamilton says Sebastian Vettel "disgraced himself" by driving into the side of his Mercedes during the Azerbiajan GP after their clash under Safety Car conditions.
Vettel earned himself a 10-second stop-go penalty after driving up alongside Hamilton and swiping the No.44 car in protest at what he had deemed to be a "brake-check" from his title rival. Hamilton had been managing pace behind the Safety Car ahead of the second restart of the crazy race at the street circuit.
On the radio after the incident, Hamilton told Mercedes: "Vettel literally just came alongside and hit me!"
Though Vettel insisted the incident was caused by the race leader braking suddenly (something Mercedes' data refuted), Hamilton was left puzzled with the German's driving after the race and said he had not driven any differently on lap 19 than he had on lap 16, when the first Safety Car period had finished and he had managed the pace from the lead.
"I controlled the pace, like all the other restarts I slowed down in the same spot," Hamilton said. "He's obviously sleeping and drove in the back of me, that for me wasn't an issue.
"Driving alongside and deliberately driving into a driver and getting away scot free pretty much, he still came away fourth, I think that's disgrace, he disgraced himself today to be honest."
Hamilton was then asked about quotes Vettel reportedly told German media that the swipe was him making a point about Formula One being a "sport for being men", Hamilton replied: ""If he wants to prove that he's a man we should do it out of the car face to face.
"I think driving dangerously which in any way can put another driver at risk, luckily we were going slow if we were going fast could have been a lot worse. Imagine all the kids watching Formula One today and seeing that kind of behaviour from a four-time world champion.... I think it says it all."
Focus then shifted to whether the 2017 title fight, which so far has been good natured between the two men, had turned dirty, though Hamilton says it changes nothing for him.
"Not for me, I'm going to keep going. We had the upper hand this weekend, we can move forwards in the future, I think through difficult times true colours show, so a good day for me."
Vettel ended up finishing the race fourth, one place ahead of Hamilton, who had to pit to re-fit the headrest on his Mercedes after it had come loose during a 20-minute red flag.