Lewis Hamilton says comment about Kimi Raikkonen after British GP was 'dumb'
- Published
Hamilton is eight points behind rival Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' standings
Lewis Hamilton says he was "dumb" to imply Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen might have deliberately collided with him at the start of the British Grand Prix.
Hamilton had referred to "interesting tactics" immediately after the race, in which Raikkonen hit the back of his Mercedes and spun him on the first lap.
On Instagram on Monday, Hamilton said: "Kimi said sorry and we move on. It was a racing incident and nothing more."
Hamilton said "sometimes we say dumb" things and "we learn from it".
The Briton said his immediate post-race remarks were down to the exhaustion he felt after such a demanding race.
"I lost nearly 3kg [in body fluids] trying to get back to the top for you and my team," he said, addressing his 6.7 million followers on the social media platform.
"I barely had any energy at the end to stand, let alone talk.
"If you can't understand and appreciate that, then I fully understand. However, [it] was nothing to do with anger, [I was] literally just exhausted both mentally and physically.
"Thank you to everyone for the incredible support this weekend. We win and lose together. Onwards and upwards."
After the race, Hamilton had pointed out that twice in three races a Ferrari driver had collided with a Mercedes on the first lap.
Championship leader Sebastian Vettel hit Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas at the first corner of the French Grand Prix, forcing both to return to the pits to repair damage and fight from the back.
'If you cry like a girl when you lose, do ballet'
At Silverstone, Hamilton was also sent to the back in the incident, from which he fought back to second place behind Vettel, who leads the championship from the Briton by eight points.
Raikkonen received a 10-second penalty for the incident and said he accepted it was his fault.
Vettel said after the race it was "silly" to think either incident had been deliberate, pointing out he had damaged his own race prospects in the collision in France.
Raikkonen's wife Minttu put a post on Instagram saying: "If you cry like a girl when you lose, do ballet."
She later removed the entry and, when addressing a fan who defended Hamilton, she added: "Just to be clear, I was not talking about the driver but the team who was crying afterwards that someone did something on purpose.
"No he didn't. It's called racing."