Bangs, boos and bust-ups in F1

04 July 2016 - 09:24 By Reuters

Lewis Hamilton was booed on the podium after a last-lap collision with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in a wild final lap after a dramatic victory in a pulsating Austrian Grand Prix yesterday.Championship leader Rosberg, who had been in front with Hamilton in his slipstream, nursed his damaged car over the line for fourth place with his advantage cut to 11 points after nine of 21 rounds."I am gutted, it's unbelievable," said the German, accusing Hamilton of turning in and causing the accident that broke his front wing.Hamilton disagreed."I was on the outside, it wasn't me that had the crash," said the Briton, who now has three wins to Rosberg's five this season.The stewards appeared to back Hamilton up by opening an investigation into Rosberg's actions.The German was summoned to answer charges of causing a collision and failing to stop with a seriously damaged car.Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described the collision as "brainless", without singling out either of his drivers for blame.The team revealed that Rosberg had suffered a problem with his brake-by-wire system, which went into "passive mode" at the end of the penultimate lap as Hamilton closed in.The crowd, small by comparison with the previous two years - with rows of empty seats in the grandstands - made their disapproval evident with whistles and boos as Hamilton was interviewed on the podium."That's not my problem, it's their problem," the Briton, who started on pole, shrugged when asked about the noise."I left a lot of room on the inside and I guess he locked up and crashed into me. I think he had a problem with his brakes. I'm here to win. That's all."Dutch teenager Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull at their home track with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen third after teammate Sebastian Vettel crashed out on his 29th birthday when a rear tyre exploded.Daniel Ricciardo was fifth for Red Bull, with Britain's Jenson Button sixth for McLaren. Frenchman Romain Grosjean was seventh in a Haas ahead of Spaniard Carlos Sainz in a Toro Rosso. German rookie Pascal Wehrlein scored his first point in Formula One, and his Manor team's first of the season, with a remarkable 10th. ..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.