New Delhi, India

The Austrian Grand Prix was a roller-coaster ride in every sense. While Finland’s Valtteri Bottas won a dramatic Austrian season-opener for champions Mercedes in a race with only 11 finishers and no spectators, the humdinger of a race witnessed yet another crash between Lewis Hamilton and Alex Albon. 

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Hamilton made contact with Albon just on the Turn Five towards the end of the race with the latter clearly ahead with charge, in third, with softer tires than the Mercedes following a late Safety Car as he appeared to have gotten ahead of the six-time world champion. 

Hamilton-Albon: A racing incident?

Even though Hamilton believes the collision with Albon was a “racing incident” despite receiving a penalty, the Red Bull driver didn’t share the same view. 

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ALSO READ: Bottas wins dramatic Austrian opener

Hamilton was given a 5s penalty which ended up costing him a podium with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris skipping past him. Albon, on the other hand, went spinning and dropped down the field and retired from the race he reckons he could have won. 

It is not the first time that Hamilton has been penalised for colliding with Albon having pushed into the Red Bull last year at Interlagos.

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“This guy is such a sore loser,” a furious Albon said on team radio immediately after the spin.

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"[It was] a really unfortunate scenario with Alex," Hamilton told Sky F1 after the Austrian GP. "I can't believe we've come together again.

ALSO READ: Lewis Hamilton's path to seventh world title may begin on its knees

"It really felt like a racing incident but either way I'll take whatever penalty they feel I deserve and move forwards."

But Albon and Red Bull were less than happy with the Mercedes star.

"I felt Brazil was a bit more 50/50, this one I felt like I did the move already and I was kind of already focused on Bottas in front," said a frustrated Albon. "It was so late for contact.

"There's always a risk of overtaking on the outside but I gave as much space as I really could, I was right on the edge.

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"I thought as long as I give him all the space I can give him, it's up to him if he wants to crash or not."