LEW MAD AT MAX!

Hamilton left raging at Red Bull kid

LEWIS HAMILTON laid into Red Bull racer Max Verstappen and labelled him a “d***head” following a collision in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Defending champion Hamilton lost further ground to Sebastian Vettel in their title battle after the Ferrari driver masterfully managed a one-stop strategy to hold off Valtteri Bottas and claim his second victory in as many races.

Hamilton (right) had to be content with filling the final spot on the podium after he started ninth.

Indeed it may have been one place worse but for Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement following a dramatic pit-stop collision with his own Ferrari mechanic, who suffered a broken leg.

Hamilton’s flashpoint with Verstappen arrived on the second lap. Both drivers were in unfamiliar positions after Hamilton started down the order following a grid penalty and Verstappen’s qualifying crash.

The Red Bull driver sensed blood in his early pursuit of Hamilton, but his noholds-barred move cost him dearly.

Verstappen lunged underneath Hamilton on the 220mph turn 1 charge, inadvertently colliding with the Mercedes car. Hamilton lived to fight another day but Verstappen sustained an ultimately terminal left-rear puncture.

Seconds after removing his helmet in the green room before the podium, the Englishman watched a replay.

“Such a d***head,” Hamilton said. The stewards took no action but Hamilton was clearly angry with Verstappen’s conduct.

“It was an unnecessary collision,” said a marginally more reflective Hamilton afterwards.

“There needs to be a certain respect between drivers.

“It didn’t feel like a respectful manoeuvre, and it was a silly manoeuvre for him because he didn’t finish the race. Obviously, he has made a few mistakes recently.”

Verstappen, who spun at the curtain-raiser in Melbourne a fortnight ago before crashing out of qualifying here, did not concur.

“In my opinion there was plenty of room for both of us to go around that corner,” he said.

Bottas was breathing down Vettel’s neck in the final exchanges, but Vettel crossed the line 0.6sec clear of the Mercedes.

“I came on the radio with 10 laps to go and said I had everything under control, but that was a lie as I had nothing under control,” said a jubilant Vettel, who is now 17 points clear of Hamilton.

“When they told me the pace of Valtteri at that time I thought there is no way I could do that. I was doing the maths in the car and thought he was going to catch me.

“I tried to nurse the tyres as much as I could. It worked, but only just.”

Hamilton added: “I started ninth so third is not bad at all. It was damage limitation.”