Vettel refutes 'dangerous driving' charge

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Sebastian Vettel wasn't ready to admit any wrong doing associated with his on-track clash with Lewis Hamilton in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The two men came together at the end of the chaotic race's second Safety Car period. Hamilton was slow out of Turn 16, catching Vettel off-guard who rammed into the back of the Mercedes.

The Ferrari driver's temper got the better of him at that point as he pulled up alongside the Mercedes and purposefully rammed into the side of his rival.

Vettel was then  hit with a 10-second stop-and-go penalty by the stewards who labeled the German's driving as dangerous, a judgment Vettel  rejects.

"He brake-checked me," Vettel told the media, unapologetic of his maneuver.

"I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose but for sure it was not the right move. If I'm struggling, people in the back are struggling even more.

"I don't think it was necessary, I had a little damage, he risked damage. He'd done something similar a couple of years ago in China on the restart.  It's just not the way to do it.

Lewis Hamilton was rather mum on the same subject, refusing to be drawn into a lengthy discussion on the incident.

"You saw what happen, I don't really care about it," said the Mercedes driver. "It's done and dusted.

"I'm just looking forward to get home. It's been a good weekend and we still got some points which is obviously the key."

Post-race, the stewards confirmed their 'dangerous driving' verdict but Vettel was also handed 3 penalty points on his licence, bringing his tally 9, or three points short of a race ban.

The German will want to stay out of trouble in two weeks at the Austrian Grand Prix.

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