After an intense 52 laps at Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton came home to take a record-extending eighth British Grand Prix victory. Although the Briton left it late to make the move on Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen’s crash on Lap 1 marred his victory.

However, the defending champion delivered a strong message to his championship rival after the race.

Lewis Hamilton irate with Max Verstappen after their collision in Lap 1

While both drivers made good starts to the race, Hamilton looked quicker off the line. Although the Briton negotiated the first few corners very well, Verstappen defended magnificently to keep the lead. However, disaster struck the Dutchman as Hamilton clipped him heading into Turn 9.

During the red flags that the incident brought out, the FIA gave the Briton a 10-second penalty for the collision. Despite Hamilton serving the penalty during his only pit stop, he caught Leclerc in the final few laps to seal the victory.

Although the Briton wasn’t aware of Verstappen going to a local hospital for precautionary tests, he admitted the Dutchman’s aggressive nature led to the incident. He said, “When someone’s just too aggressive, these things are bound to happen. There’s not a single driver here that doesn’t know how aggressive a driver can be”

In addition to that, he revealed incidents like these wouldn’t cause him to change his driving style. “Of course, I would love to have a wheel-to-wheel battle for the whole race. I enjoy racing with him and I’m looking forward. But, I will never back down from anyone.

“And, I will naturally not be bullied into being less aggressive. I think today, this weekend, we needed the points and there was a gap, he left the gap and I went for it.”

READ MORE: British GP F1 Report: Drama All Around as Hamilton Wins After Crash Controversy With Verstappen

Hamilton: I don’t feel anything now

Although the Briton faced a tough challenge after the crash, he admitted the incident didn’t affect him too much. He said, “I don’t feel anything now. I just channel it into my driving, which I did. And I’m so proud for us to be able to do that in front of the crowd.”

With his fourth win of the season, Hamilton closed the gap to Verstappen to just eight points in the driver’s championship. While this puts the Briton in good stead heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix, fans will expect Verstappen to make a strong comeback at the Hungaroring.

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