Formula 1's biggest rivalry has gone nuclear with damning accusations against "disrespectful" Lewis Hamilton after a horror move at 290km/h.
Lewis Hamilton has won the British Grand Prix for the eighth time in controversial circumstances.
The seven-time world champion overcame a 10-second time penalty to take the race lead with only three laps left to win a dramatic grand prix at Silverstone where he was eventually penalised two championship points for his involvement in a horror crash with Max Verstappen.
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The war of words reached boiling point after the race with Lewis Hamilton accused of a "tasteless" tweet where he failed to make any form of apology for his role in the incident.
He was given a 10-second time penalty by race officials during the race after replays showed him nudging championship leader Verstappen off the track and into the tyre wall at 180 mph on the opening lap.
The Dutchman crashed out of the race but he walked away unscathed and underwent a medical examination at the track before being taken to a local hospital for further tests. Filthy Red Bull boss Christian Horner said after the race Verstappen's crash into the wall was the equivalent force of 51G.
Horner was furious and lobbied hard for Hamilton to be penalised.
Verstappen then took the war of words nuclear when he blasted Hamilton in an Instagram post after watching his rival celebrate his win on the podium during trophy presentations.
"First of all: I am glad I’m ok. It was quite an impact at 51G but feeling better," he said as a caption of a photo showing him being pulled out of his wrecked car.
"Obviously very disappointed with being taken out like this. The penalty given does not help us in any way and doesn’t do justice to the dangerous move Lewis made on track. Watching the celebrations after the race while still in hospital is disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behavior but we move on."
Horner also slammed Hamilton's character after the race.
"As far as I'm concerned, full blame is on Hamilton, who should never have been in that position," he told FIA race director Michael Masi over radio.
"You could have had a massive accident. Thank god he's walked away unscathed. I hope you're going to deal with it appropriately."
He doubled down after the race, saying Hamilton's move to overtake Verstappen on the Copse "looked desperate".
"Lewis Hamilton is a world champion and he shouldn't be making manoeuvres like that," Horner told Sky Sports.
"It's unacceptable. He's put a driver ... thank goodness the biggest result for us today is he was uninjured.
"He's having to go to hospital for precautionary checks after a 51G accident so I hope Lewis is very happy with himself."
Horner later added in an interview on UK TV: "For me, that's a hollow victory."You boys know as well as anyone, Copse is one of the fastest corners in the world. You don't stick a wheel up the inside. That's just dirty driving."
Hamilton doesn't believe he was at fault.
"I always try to be measured in how I approach, particularly with battling with Max, he's very aggressive," he said.
"I don't feel like he needs to be as aggressive as he is.
"Then today I was fully alongside him and he didn't leave me any space."
After the race restarted, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took a dominant lead and despite having some engine trouble, looked like he could win the race.
But once Hamilton served his time penalty in the pits, he was a man on a mission - flying through the field and constantly setting fastest lap times.
At one stage, he trailed Leclerc by ten seconds, but made up the gap with three laps to go.
The win is Hamilton's first since the Portuguese Grand Prix in May and closes the deficit to championship leader Verstappen to just eight points.
The Hamilton-Verstappen crash is sure to be the subject of much debate over the coming days.
"Red Bull will be furious," Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle said.
"They’ve got a wrecked car and a bruised driver and no championship points.”
Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth for his best result of his first season with McLaren.
British Grand Prix results
1st: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2nd: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3rd: Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
4th: Lando Norris (McLaren)
5th: Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
6th: Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
7th: Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
8th: Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9th: Sebastian Ocon (Alpine)
10th: Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)
Lewis Hamilton is absolutely flying and with six laps to go he trails race leader Charles Leclerc by only three seconds.
The Mercedes driver is constantly setting the fastest lap times of the race.
This will be a sensational finish to the British Grand Prix.
"He has put the hammer down, has Lewis Hamilton," Sky Sports commentator David Croft.
Anyone else thinking Hamilton will do this? #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/dZsnDbxU2I
— Sanny Rudravajhala (@SannyR1985) July 18, 2021
Red Bull has released an update on Max Verstappen's condition, saying he was been taken to a local hospital for further checks.
"Following a first lap incident at Copse Corner between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix, we can confirm that Max Verstappen walked away from his car and was immediately taken to the Silverstone Circuit Medical Centre," Red Bull said.
"Following an assessment by the trackside doctors at Silverstone Circuit Medical Centre, Max Verstappen has been taken to a local hospital for further precautionary tests."
The Dutchman crashed into the wall at 180 miles per hour on the first lap of the race and may be suffering from concussion.
We're past the halfway point of the British Grand Prix and it's game on.
Lewis Hamilton has served his 10-second time penalty and is flying on fresh tyres.
He quickly overtook Lando Norris to move into third position and now has his sights on Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas ahead of him.
Leclerc leads the race by nine seconds.
A very slow pit stop for Ferrari's Carlos Sainz proved costly, as he came out behind Daniel Ricciardo, who is in P5.
LAP 29 & 30/52: Ferraris into the pits
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2021
Sainz pits first but it's slow, he returns to the track in P6
Leclerc's is much quicker and he comes back out in P1#BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/0byWqeey4M
Very slow left front for Sainz – 12.3s! Nightmare. How are the Ferrari nerves now?! #F1 #BritishGP
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) July 18, 2021
A slow pit stop has cost Lando Norris dearly.
The McLaren driver was was stuck in the pits for six seconds – four seconds longer than he would have liked as his team had issues changing his right rear tyre.
The delay allowed Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas to pass Norris into fourth spot and could prove costly as Norris strives to make the most of Hamilton's penalty in a bid to win his first grand prix.
Slow stop for Norris! Free position for Bottas, nightmare #F1 #BritishGP
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) July 18, 2021
LAP 21/52
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2021
Norris pits from P3, but it's a slow stop – 6 seconds
He returns to the track in P6 behind Alonso #BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/012AKEwGhK
Daniel Ricciardo has also pitted and is currently in seventh position.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc still leads the race but he has been struggling with engine trouble for quite a while.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner was furious over radio when speaking to to FIA race director Michael Masi about the Hamilton-Verstappen crash.
"That corner, Hamilton was never anywhere near alongside," he said.
"Every driver that's driven this circuit knows you do not stick a wheel up the inside of Copse.
"That's an enormous accident and it was 100 per cent Max's corner. As far as I'm concerned, full blame is on Hamilton, who should never have been in that position.
"You could have had a massive accident. Thank god he's walked away unscathed. I hope you're going to deal with it appropriately."
And Red Bull supremo Helmet Marko argues Hamilton deserves to be banned for a race.
In contrast, Hamilton believes he was not at fault.
"I was ahead going in there. Pulling alongside, it was my line," he said over the team radio.
"He turned in on me, man, giving the guy space."
The race stewards have handed Lewis Hamilton a 10-second penalty for his role in Max Verstappen's crash.
It means the Mercedes driver will have to wait 10 seconds when he takes his pit stop in a huge blow to his hopes of winning his home Grand Prix at Silverstone.
🚨 Lewis Hamilton is given a 10-second penalty by the race stewards for the earlier incident with Verstappen#BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/5zif0xKE27
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2021
Charles Leclerc leads the British Grand Prix after the race resumed following a dramatic start.
The Ferrari is followed by Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo, whose car is emitting smoke.
We have a red flag as the wreckage of Max Verstappen's Red Bull is cleared from the track and he is taken in an ambulance for a medical assessment.
Fans and experts are split on whether it was simply a "racing incident" or if Lewis Hamilton should be penalised for his role in the crash and if he pushed Verstappen wide off the track.
Verstappen's car is untangled from the barriers, lifted onto a pick-up truck and is on its way back to the pits
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2021
Well done to all the marshals 👏#BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/JtLW5oOMB2
Red Bull's boss Christian Horner is lobbying hard with race officials for Hamilton to be penalised, while his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff has even resorted to sending an email to FIA race director Michael Masi "with the diagrams where the car should be".
The race is set to resume in a few minutes with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc now leading the field.
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