Lewis expresses displeasure over FIA's leniency towards Vettel for Azerbaijan crash by 'liking' social media post slamming the German and governing body
Sebastian Vettel (left) escaped punishment for colliding with Lewis Hamilton at the Azerbaijan GP last month. Pics/AFP, Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton has stoked the flames of his rivalry with Sebastian Vettel by appearing to endorse a social media post which criticises the German and Formula One's governing body.
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Vettel, 30, escaped further punishment from the FIA on Monday after he accepted full responsibility for causing a deliberate collision with Hamilton at the Azerbaijan GP. The four-time champion also issued an apology to the Englishman via a statement which he released on his personal website.
Hamilton is yet to comment on the FIA's ruling, but 'liked' a damning Instagram post published on Monday. The message was critical of Vettel's actions, the FIA's handling of the case, and suggested that the sport's governing body would not have been as lenient towards Hamilton.
"Lost all respect for the FIA, Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel after that ruling," the post, published by tillykeeper_zackfan, said. "The message this sends is that you can do whatever you want on track, smash into each other, but if you suck up and apologise, you get away with it. If that was Lewis, he'd get banned, fined and points deducted. FIA are a bias set of fools towards Ferrari. Always have been and always will (be)."
Hamilton, who has more than 4.5 million followers on Instagram, was one of more than 100 people to 'like' the post. Following a meeting at the FIA's headquarters on Monday — at which Vettel was accompanied by Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene — the German issued an apology before releasing a statement in which he acknowledged that he had "caused a dangerous situation" and "overreacted" after swerving into Hamilton's car.
The FIA, of which former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt is president, could have elected to haul Vettel before the international tribunal with the threat of disqualification from the Grand Prix in Azerbaijan — and the 12 points he scored for finishing fourth — or indeed a race ban.
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