Mercedes and Ferrari on Sunday traded insults and accusations after Sebastian Vettel beat Lewis Hamilton to win the British Grand Prix.
The controversy centered on an incident in the opening lap when Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen collided with Hamilton’s Mercedes.
As a result, the Englishman, who had started from pole position, dropped to the back of the field.
The accident followed a first-lap collision at the French Grand Prix, when the other Ferrari, driven by Vettel, drove into the other Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.
In France, Vettel was handed a five-second penalty and on Sunday Raikkonen took a 10-second penalty, but Mercedes felt those punishments were not sufficient.
Hamilton, his Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and the team’s non-executive chairman Nikki Lauda all suggested that Ferrari’s crashes with their team’s cars might be more than just unlucky “racing incidents.”
Vettel, who increased his narrow lead in the driver standings, responded by dismissing the talk as “quite silly.”
Hamilton drove a heroic race to finish second, while Raikkonen went on to secure the final podium place.
After the race, the Mercedes driver struggled to hide his disappointment.
He avoided a post-race interview and his body language as he kept away from Raikkonen in the pre-podium room and during the champagne spraying told its own story.
When he was eventually interviewed on the podium after the two Ferrari men had departed, Hamilton took a swipe at his rivals.
“Interesting tactics, I would say, from their side, but we’ll do what we can to fight them,” he said.
Hamilton later expanded on his comments.
“It’s now two races one of the Ferraris has taken out one of the Mercedes,” he said. “There’s a lot of points there that Valtteri and I have lost.”
“We’ve just got to try to position ourselves better so we are not exposed to the red cars, because who knows whether that’s going to happen again,” he added. “We’ve got to work hard as a team to try to lock out the front row and make sure we’re fully ahead of these guys.”
Vettel now leads the title race with 171 points, eight ahead of Hamilton on 163, while Raikkonen is third on 116.
Vettel shrugged off the accusations.
“Why? Things can happen,” the German said. “It’s quite silly to think that anything that happened was deliberate. I, at least, would struggle to be that precise and take somebody out.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely