Lewis Hamilton has revealed he warned Sebastian Vettel not to “disrespect” him again after the German intentionally banged wheels with his Mercedes during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix back in June.
The infamous incident took place as the Briton was slowing before a Safety Car restart to allow the Mercedes SLS to recover to the pits before putting his foot down. In the process of doing so, Vettel would run into the back of Hamilton’s car through Turn 16 with the four-time world champion feeling he had been brake tested.
In response, he pulled alongside and turned into Lewis’ car, an act that would earn him a 10-second penalty for dangerous driving and later issuing an apology after being brought up in front of an FIA Tribunal Court.
At the time, it was the first major controversy between the then championship rivals and the start of what some thought would be the deterioration of their friendly rivalry until that point, but Hamilton didn’t want that to happen.
“When I spoke to him later, I was like ‘that’s a sign of disrespect, so don’t ever disrespect me like that again otherwise then we will have problems’,” he said in an interview on the Flying Lap.
“I’ve never done that to someone. I don’t even know what he was thinking to have done… I’ve never been in a position like that. I guess people react differently under certain pressures.”
Also aware of the impact increased tensions can have, after his battle with Nico Rosberg in recent years, the 32-year-old, who would go on to claim a fourth world title, didn’t want it to become a diversion.
“I think there are different ways in which you can handle things,” said Hamilton. “I knew what I was there to do and I wasn’t going to let anything distract me from doing that.
“I wasn’t going to let myself say something or react in a way that’s going to cause some negative swirl which is going to steer me off course from my ultimate goal and naturally, with the experience you learn to just compartmentalise all those different things.”