Lewis Hamilton BLASTS Sebastian Vettel for Azerbaijan Grand Prix rule break
LEWIS HAMILTON has blasted Sebastian Vettel for breaking safety car rules at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Brit recorded his first win of the 2018 season in Baku, benefitting from a huge slice of luck when his Mercedes co-star Valtteri Bottas suffered a puncture three laps from the finish.
Hamilton has now leapfrogged Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' standings.
But the 32-year-old was not happy with the German's conduct during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hamilton claimed Vettel was 'stopping and starting' while the safety car was on track, which drivers are not permitted to do.
“The rules are that when the safety car goes (in), you’re not allowed to start and stop, start and stop,” he said.
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You’re not allowed to gas and then brake. You’re not allowed to fake the guy behind.
“You’re not allowed to gas and then brake. You’re not allowed to fake the guy behind.
“Because naturally if there was not that rule, that’s what you’d do because eventually you’d catch them sleeping.
"You’re not allowed to do that.
“Every re-start I’ve done - I’ve abided by that.
“In Australia, Sebastian accelerated and then braked and I nearly went up the back end of him.
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"And today he did it like maybe four times.”
Hamilton added that race director Charlie Whiting had passed concerns onto stewards, who will look into the incident.
Vettel will be ruing other mistakes from Baku on Sunday.
The former world champion blew his chances of winning his third race of the season when attempting an ambitious overtake on Bottas midway through the race.