Lewis Hamilton has said that Max Verstappen's move on him at the beginning of the second lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix lacked respect.

With the Briton having been hit with a 5-place grid penalty after a change of gearbox and his Red Bull rival starting 15th after crashing out in Q1, both would inevitably be on a charge in the opening laps.

However, following a strong start, as early as the end of the first lap they were running abreast down the pit straight, sparks filling the sky as they jostled for position.

They remained side-by-side as they headed into the first corner, the Red Bull on the inside and Hamilton on the outside.

They touched, and while Hamilton ran a little wide, doing well not to spin, it was soon clear that his Dutch rival had a puncture.

While Hamilton was able to continue, with no obvious damage, Verstappen eventually pitted for new tyres only to retire shortly after when it was clear he had sustained bodywork damage.

While the Dutch driver laid the blame at his rival's door, claiming that the stewards got it wrong in dismissing the clash as a "racing incident", the Briton was a little more forthright.

"Ultimately, I had a coming together with Max and it was unnecessary," said Hamilton.

"There needs to be a certain respect between drivers,” he added. “Maybe I need to go and watch the manoeuvre again, but it didn’t feel like a respectful move.

"It was a silly move for him because he didn't finish the race and obviously he's tending to make quite a few mistakes recently. It was unnecessary for him to do that."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by TokyoAussie, 11/04/2018 4:17

"Lewis is right. But he, and especially Vettel, all pull the same move in the same way, so in that sense he is also wrong in the same way he pings Max. It's one thing for drivers to take the inside line, but when they use all of the track on the exit, there literally is nowhere to go for the driver on the outside. They all do it, so all equally to blame.

But it is mighty rich to hear Lewis criticize another driver for "lack of respect." Kettle,... black..."

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2. Posted by equator180, 10/04/2018 1:36

"Lewis crying about respect: This is a new Monty Python skit, right up there with Twit of the Year Contest"

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3. Posted by Stitch431, 09/04/2018 20:55

"As a matter of fact, Max used exactly the same line as Lewis did on his overtake on the three cars, with the only difference that they did not let their car "stand" as he himself did with Max. Max could have backed off but made clear that he is here to race and when you are racing you do not back of and you do not "show respect". Lewis, lately you stopped whining. Please do not start again. I don't like cry babies. Be a man and do your talking on the track instead."

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4. Posted by jcr, 09/04/2018 17:27

"Nico must be having a good laugh to himself,"

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5. Posted by GrahamG, 09/04/2018 15:11

"I see the baby has started throwing his toys around again. How dare anyone be in front of me, I'm Lewis Hamilton. "

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Hamilton: Verstappen lacked respect

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