Lewis Hamilton criticized spectators at the Austrian Grand Prix for cheering when he crashed in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring.
Hamilton went off at Turn Seven, close to grandstands packed with Dutch fans of his 2021 title rival Max Verstappen.
“I was going through a bunch of stuff in the crash, but to hear it afterwards you know… I don’t agree with any of that, no matter what,” he said.
“A driver could have been in hospital, and you are going to cheer that?”
The incident left Hamilton 10th in qualifying, although he was promoted to ninth on the grid for Saturday’s sprint event after a penalty for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
Speaking after the sprint, Hamilton added: “It’s just mind-blowing that people would do that, knowing how dangerous our sport is. I’m grateful that I wasn’t in the hospital and I wasn’t heavily injured.
“You should never cheer someone’s downfall or someone’s injury.”
Formula 1 said it has launched an investigation into reports of fans being subjected to “completely unacceptable” abuse at the Austrian Grand Prix.
