Lewis Hamilton described his battle and crash with Max Verstappen late in Formula 1's Hungarian Grand Prix as "hair-raising", but call dit a racing incident.
Hamilton and Verstappen collided yet again in their F1 careers, this time as the final stages of the Budapest race won by McLaren's Oscar Piastri played out.
Verstappen was making his way back towards the third place he had occupied in the first stint after he was forced to hand a position back to second-place finisher Lando Norris for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at the race's first corner.
The world champion had just repassed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with a late-race tyre life advantage from stopping later in the two-stop contest for the leaders when he came up against Hamilton again – having been held off during a similar charge in the middle stint.
With eight laps left, Verstappen, who had gone off the road when Hamilton put in stiff defence at Turn 2 the previous tours tour, attacked at Turn 1 from a long way back.
He locked up both front wheels and with Hamilton having come closer to try and make the corner even with the Red Bull's attack, Verstappen slid straight on and hit Hamilton's right front wheel.
He went up in the air and off in the runoff and rejoined down in fifth, where he finished behind Leclerc as Hamilton went on to finish third without further issue.
"Ultimately, we didn't have the pace of the McLarens, or did we have the pace of the Red Bulls," Hamilton said after the race.
"But we were just able to hold on at the beginning of the race. It was very tough to hold on and make those tyres last.
"And obviously the close battle we had at the end was a bit hair-raising. But that's motor racing. I'm really happy and grateful for the points. Big thank you for the team."
Asked in parc ferme if he felt the battle had been "nerve-racking" by former Mercedes team-mate turned TV pundit Nico Rosberg, Hamilton replied: "It's not nerve-racking.
"I think it when you see the pace at which they closed the gap in certain corners, you just laugh to yourself because it's not something that I can do.
"Particularly the last sector they were very strong – same as the McLarens. I mean, I saw him coming from a long way back and he was able to brake a lot later than me.
"But, he sent it up the inside, I stayed still and he clipped the wheel and went over. So, I think a racing incident. But, you know, yeah…"
Verstappen and Hamilton will see the stewards at 5.50pm local time in Hungary to assess whether a penalty needs to be applied.
