Lewis Hamilton laughs off Max Verstappen crash accusation

Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton was at fault for their dramatic coming together in the closing stages of the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Having spent much of the race battling over the final spot on the podium, the old title rivals clashed on Lap 63 when Verstappen dived down the inside in a bid to claim third place.

The Red Bull driver locked up and ran deep into the corner, with his left-rear wheel making contact with Hamilton’s front right. Verstappen came off worse from the collision and was sent airborne into the run-off area.

Hamilton went on to finish third, while Verstappen dropped behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to fifth.

“I went for a move which was fully on,” Verstappen told Sky Sports. “But then, in the middle of the braking zone when I’m already committed, he suddenly keeps warping right.

"If I hadn’t have turned, while braking straight, I would have made contact with him. Naturally, I lock up because he keeps turning to the right.

“People made a lot of what happened in Austria - it wasn’t correct blah blah blah. But that was on the initial move. Then you brake straight, you hold your wheels straight.

“I felt like now, it wasn’t on the initial move, but afterwards. During the braking zone he keeps turning right. You cannot do that when someone is committed to the inside.

“That’s why I locked up, otherwise we would’ve collided anyway because he would’ve turned in on me.

“We’ll see. At the end of the day if you do a better strategy, you’re not in that position.

"But I don’t think it was wrong. I went for a move which was fully on. I don’t think I braked too late.”

When informed of Verstappen’s view of the incident, Hamilton laughed before responding: “I mean, for me, it was a racing incident. Ultimately, he was much quicker.

“He sent it. I moved, a little bit to defend. But I left space on the inside. He locked up. He then couldn’t turn, so came back at a different trajectory and clipped my wheel.

“So, if he was under control, he would have gone by.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted he also felt it was simply a “racing incident”.

The incident was investigated by the stewards, who decided to take no further action over the matter, deeming "no driver was predominantly to blame".