Hamilton’s fall left him ninth on the grid in Saturday’s sprint race
Lewis Hamilton has criticized Austrian Grand Prix spectators for applauding when he crashed into the standings in the Red Bull Ring.
Hamilton came out on the Turn Seven, near the stands full of Dutch fans of his rival for the 2021 Max Verstappen title.
“I was going through a lot of things during the accident, but to hear it later you know … I don’t agree with any of that, no matter what happens,” he said.
“A driver could have been in the hospital, and will you cheer him on?”
The incident left Hamilton 10th in the standings, although he climbed to ninth place on the grid for Saturday’s sprint test after a penalty for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
Speaking after the sprint, Hamilton added: “It’s amazing that people are doing this, knowing how dangerous our sport is. I’m grateful not to be in the hospital and not to have been seriously injured.
“You should never encourage someone’s downfall or someone’s injury.”
Formula 1 said it has opened an investigation into complaints about fans being subjected to “completely unacceptable” abuses at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Hamilton will start Sunday’s Grand Prix in eighth place, his final position in Saturday’s sprint test.
He made a bad start and fell to 11th on the first lap after being hit by Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly on the first corner.
He spent much of the sprint stuck behind Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher, but was unable to pass because the Mercedes had a lower straight-line speed than its Ferrari-powered cars.
He finally managed to overtake Schumacher with two laps to go.
Hamilton said: “Ferrari’s power is too much for us right now.
“I don’t know if it’s a drag, or if it’s a power, it’s hard to quantify what it is.
“It wasn’t particularly the funniest race. It didn’t seem that fast to me. But like I said, I think there was something wrong with the car after that. [incident with Gasly].
“But many thanks to my team for riding the car. They’ve worked crazy overnight and this morning to keep us in the race, so I hope tomorrow is a little better.”