Sebastian Vettel says that the aftermath of his controversial clash with Lewis Hamilton at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix brought the pair closer together.
Under a Safety Car period from a chaotic race in Baku, Vettel became frustrated with Hamilton after believing the Mercedes driver had brake-checked him.
Vettel drew alongside Hamilton and banged wheels with his rival.
The German was ultimately deemed guilty of dangerous driving and was issued a 10-second time penalty, while Hamilton went on to have issues with his headrest that took him out of a race-winning position.
Speaking to the Beyond the Grid podcast, Vettel explained what he was thinking when the incident unfolded.
“I was very upset,” Vettel said. “It was one of these moments where things didn’t go my way. And I was upset, and maybe the emotional side did take over too much.
“But I think actually, that moment was a key moment because it could have made us step away from each other more, or bring us together. And it brought us together.
“I reflect and I did think about what happened. And as much as I might have felt in the moment that it is not fair, [what I did is] not right.
“I wanted to show him, I wanted to tell him, but obviously we’re wearing helmets, and it’s hard to communicate. So that was a form of communication.”
In recent years, Vettel and Hamilton have shared a strong friendship and have both commended each other for their on-track and off-track presence.
Vettel believes that after Baku, they began to form a closer friendship.
“But I also did see that it was the wrong form, and it was not the right way,” he said.
“It wasn’t sportsmanlike and not fair, which I admitted afterwards, and we talked to each other and I think since that moment, we got closer to each other.”
Vettel opted to retire from F1 at the end of the 2022 season.
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