Sebastian Vettel was penalised for dangerous driving after deliberately crashing into title rival Lewis Hamilton in a wild and chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix won by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo yesterday.
Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas snatched second from Williams driver Lance Stroll, 18, in the final straight, as Vettel finished fourth ahead of Hamilton to extend his championship lead to 14 points.
Despite Ricciardo's win, the race will be remembered for the angry confrontation between Vettel and Hamilton.
Ferrari star Vettel was handed a 10-second stop-go penalty during the race for "dangerous driving" after he deliberately drove into Hamilton, while both were following the safety car.
Vettel claimed Hamilton had braked in front of him and he responded by driving into the back of his rival then bumping the Briton from the side.
"I think it's just not driver conduct. It's dangerous driving and to get a 10-second penalty for that ... I don't need to say anything else," Hamilton told Sky Sports.
Vettel pleaded innocence.
"Nothing happened, did it? He brake checked me as well, so what do you expect?" the German said.
"I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose but for sure it was not the right move. If I'm struggling, people at the back are struggling even more, so I don't think it was necessary.
"He's done something similar in China a couple of years ago," Vettel added.
Ricciardo, who started 10th, made the most of a series of extraordinary incidents in an action-packed race to roar home 3.904 seconds ahead of the rest to deliver his first win of the season.
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