Lewis Hamilton says his run-in with Max Verstappen on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix was "racing", and feels no need to apologise for the incident.
Hamilton was handed an in-race 10-second penalty by the stewards for "causing a collision" but survived the set back to snatch the win from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc just two laps from the end of the eventful race.
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko - Red Bull's top brass – came down hard on the Briton for what Horner called an "amateur and desperate mistake" when he attempted to overtake Verstappen on the inside of the high-speed Copse corner.
Marko urged the FIA to suspend Hamilton whose maneuver he called "reckless and dangerous".
The subsequent contact pitched Verstappen into a spin and sent the Red Bull into a 51G impact with the outside barrier.
©Formula1
The current championship leader was taken to hospital for a precautionary check-up, and from where he later blasted Hamilton on social media, calling the Briton's post-race celebrations "disrespectful and unsportsmanlike".
Speaking in the post-race press conference, and before Verstappen's comments, Hamilton offered his view of the incident.
"I've not really seen the footage, I saw a quick clip of it when I went back to the garage but I will go back and have time to reflect on it," he said.
"I don't think, from my current understanding, that I am in a position to have to apologise for anything. We were out there racing."
"I heard that Max is in hospital and that definitely concerns me," he added. "None of us ever want any of us to ever get injured, that is never my intention, so I really hope that he is OK.
"I'll hit him up after this just to check that he is OK. We live to fight another day, there will be a lot of tough races coming up and we have to learn to strike a decent balance.
"I don't agree with the stewards but I take my penalty on the chin and get on with my job. I am not going to whine about it.
"Everyone is going to have a different opinion and I don't particularly care what people think. I just do what I do and I am just really grateful for today."
Confronted with Horner's strong words and the Red Bull team boss' claim that Hamilton's win was "hollow", Hamilton suggested the reaction was perhaps the result of emotions "running high".
"I don't really have anything to say to Christian other than it [the win] doesn't feel hollow," he said. "There are 2,000 people in my team who work incredibly hard and it is not just about me.
"I have already said this is not the way or anything I want to happen in the race.
"It is important for all of us to take a step back as emotions are running high and I know what it is like to lose points within the team and be in that position, so I don't generally worry about it."
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