Vettel maintains Hamilton brake tested him

Sebastian Vettel maintains Lewis Hamilton brake tested him in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but refused to comment on whether he deliberately hit the Mercedes driver.

Ahead of a Safety Car restart – the second of the race at the time – Hamilton was coasting out of the downhill Turn 15 while picking the time to return to racing speed. Vettel had accelerated out of the corner and ran into the back of the Mercedes, damaging both his own front wing and the rear of Hamilton's car.

Gesturing wildly, Vettel then pulled alongside Hamilton's car and appeared to turn into the side of the Mercedes, with the pair banging wheels before the race then resumed. Vettel was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for the incident as the stewards ruled Hamilton had not braked out of the corner, but the German insisted the race leader had caused the first collision.

"The leader dictates the pace," Vettel said. "But we were exiting the corner, he was accelerating and then he braked so much that I could not... I was braking as soon as I saw but I couldn't stop in time and ran into the back of him. I think that was just not necessary.

When informed of Hamilton's quotes that the second collision sets a bad example for you drivers, Vettel replied: "I think F1 is for grown-ups.

"I think, as I said, the maneuver before was not necessary, and obviously damaged my front wing. Damaged his rear a little bit. So that was just not the right way to do it, exiting the corner, accelerating, and then braking. I don't think that there was any point of doing that.

Vettel was then asked if his contact with the side of Hamilton's car was deliberate, to which he said: "Well, I drove alongside and then we had a little contact.

"I drove alongside to raise my hand, and I did not give him the finger or anything, I just wanted to tell him – because I can't literally talk to him – that was not right."

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Pushed for an answer, Vettel continued: "Well, I think it was very deliberate for him to brake check me, I don't think he is that kind of guy. But obviously that is what it turned out to be, and that is what it is, and I was not happy with that."

Vettel continued to be pushed on whether he deliberately hit Hamilton or not, but simply stated he felt both drivers should have been penalized for the incident.

"I drove alongside him as I said, and raised my hand to say you know that's not the way to do it. Because in that moment I damaged my front wing. He paid a price as well by having slight damage to his car. So I think that in the end I am not...I don't agree with the penalty that I got, because if you penalize me, then you should penalize both of us, because it was not the way to do it."