Sebastian Vettel shoots down Lewis Hamilton accusation after British GP thriller
SEBASTIAN VETTEL shot down any suggestion from Lewis Hamilton that Kimi Raikkonen intentionally hit the Mercedes driver on the opening lap.
Hamilton was spun around by Raikkonen on the opening lap to leave him dead last.
He fortunately suffered no serious damage and immediately went on the offensive to race through the pack.
Fast forward to the final 10 laps and Hamilton was in strong contention to clinch victory with both Ferrari and Mercedes drivers separated by just two seconds.
Valtteri Bottas was leading ahead of Vettel, Hamilton and Raikkonen but his old tyres soon gave way as the three drivers all made their way past him.
It's silly to think that anything happened was deliberate
It was too much of an ask for Hamilton to go one better and mount a challenge on Vettel, leaving him to settle for second.
And despite an impressive recovery drive, the four-time world champion was clearly frustrated after the race and accused the Ferraris of dirty tactics.
"All l would say is that it's two races in which a Ferrari has taken out a Mercedes," he said.
"Valtteri and I have both lost out in those situations."
However, Vettel vehemently denied any accusation from his championship rival.
"It's silly to think that anything happened was deliberate," the German said.
"I don't think there was an intention and I think it's unnecessary to even go there."