Sebastian Vettel hit out at Lewis Hamilton for unlapping himself during the German Grand Prix in a bizarre incident, calling the McLaren driver's actions "stupid".
Hamilton was a lap down after sustaining a puncture on debris early in the race, but was going faster than leaders Fernando Alonso and Vettel having just pitted for fresh tyres.
The McLaren spent a while between the first and second-placed Ferrari and Red Bull, while at the same time Hamilton's team-mate Jenson Button was closing in on Vettel, meaning Hamilton's presence helped his team-mate close the gap to the leaders.
"That was not nice of Lewis. I don't see why he was racing us," said Vettel. "If he wants to go fast he should drop back and find a gap. It was stupid as he was a lap down."
He added: "If you want to go quick and you have no chance to win the race you should respect that and use common sense. I didn't expect him to attack because I didn't see the point, and then I was surprised when he was side by side."
Vettel reckons the delay he incurred battling with Hamilton was critical in his loss of second place to Button in the subsequent pitstops. The Red Bull later regained the spot with a controversial late pass.
"I think that [Hamilton battle] lost us the place to Button because shortly after that we pitted," said Vettel.
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