• Vettel, who seemed to turn into Briton’s car, finishes fourth; Hamilton fifth • Valtteri Bottas overtakes Lance Stroll just before finish to take second

For many observers it was only a matter of time before what has been an entirely civilised competition for the Formula One world championship turned into a proper fight. Few, however, expected it to ignite with the level of drama and emotion that was on show at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.

Hamilton challenges Vettel to sort it ‘face to face’ after Azerbaijan clashes Read more

When Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel finally clashed on the track in an incident-filled race, a relationship that has up until now been defined by mutual respect and cordiality escalated swiftly as the gloves came off and full-blown battle lines were drawn up.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo took the flag in Baku with a remarkable recovery drive, having dropped to 17th at one point. His comeback was matched by that of Valtteri Bottas, who dropped to last and was a lap down at one stage but ended up taking second, alongside a mature finish from the Williams driver Lance Stroll, who took third and his first podium finish. But they took to the steps only after the title rivals had staged a very singular drama of their own.

The defining moment of the race – and possibly the incident that will now shape the rest of the season – came with Hamilton in the lead in front of Vettel, with the pair behind the safety car. On lap 19, just before the restart, the British driver remained at slow speed going through turn 15. Vettel, expecting him to accelerate and doubtless concerned that he could be caught on the straight, went into the back of the Mercedes.

The German reacted badly and, clearly angry, pulled alongside him to remonstrate and, while doing so, purposely turned into Hamilton.

“He brake-tested me. What the fuck is going on?” an angry Vettel exclaimed, while Hamilton pointed out the German had side-swiped him. “Vettel has literally just turned into me and hit me,” the British driver said.

The incident was immediately placed under investigation by the stewards and Vettel was deemed to have been wholly at fault, for which he served a 10-second stop-go penalty. “The stewards examined video evidence which showed that car five [Vettel] drove alongside and then steered into car 44 [Hamilton],” their post-race statement read. “The stewards decided this manoeuvre was deemed potentially dangerous.”

Any advantage Hamilton may have subsequently enjoyed was removed when he, too, had to take an extra stop to secure an errant headrest that had come loose on his car – a safety requirement. When both their stops shook out, Vettel had the advantage on track and the pair went on to finish in fourth and fifth respectively.

It was a result that left Hamilton seething. “Driving alongside and deliberately driving into a driver and getting away scot-free pretty much – he still came away with fourth – I think that’s a disgrace,” the Mercedes driver said. “I think he disgraced himself today to be honest.”

The pair did not converse while in the pit lane when the race was red-flagged for 15 minutes shortly afterwards, from which stop Hamilton rejoined with the headrest unsecured that cost him the lead.

The incident was one where blame should have been shared and a sanction applied to both drivers, Vettel insisted. “We’re all grown-ups, we’re men,” he said. “Emotions are running high in the car.

“We want to race wheel to wheel but not when it’s the restart. I think it was very clear. In the end we’re racing as men. I don’t have a radio to him. If I get a penalty, then we should both get a penalty.”

However, the British driver was blunt and confrontational with his response. “If he wants to prove that it’s men, I think he should do it out of the car face to face,” Hamilton said.

Vettel insisted again afterwards that Hamilton had brake-checked him, although as race leader behind the safety car the British driver was entitled to control the pace and was proceeding slowly rather than suddenly braking. The FIA telemetry confirmed that he had not braked or lifted off unexpectedly.

The defensive responses from Vettel were a continuation of the strange proclamations of innocence the German began to make soon after he was given the penalty. “When did I do dangerous driving?” he inquired from the car. “Can you give me an explanation of when I did dangerous driving?” It was a request his team rightly decided not to answer for fear of compounding what was very much an open and shut case.

Hamilton had clearly felt aggrieved during the race, making a pointed radio call to Charlie Whiting, the race director, during the closing stages. “A 10-second penalty for driving like that is not enough, you know that, Charlie,” he said. But with the decision made and implemented it cannot be appealed against by either team.

F1: Ricciardo wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix after Hamilton and Vettel clash – as it happened Read more

After the race in China this year, with the pair on a victory apiece, they had shared similar phraseology but with entirely different intent. “Maybe we will have times when we are racing hard and there could be a scenario where one of us thinks something is unfair,” Hamilton said at the time. “But we are grown men. We have experienced a lot. I think the respect for one another is the highest I have felt from another driver.”

The scenario he was describing arrived with a bang in Baku and that respect, at least on Hamilton’s side, appears to have now disappeared in a matter of moments, bringing a potentially ferocious edge to this championship. Out front Ricciardo had an equally remarkable result. The Australian had dropped down the order with debris in his brake ducts, forcing him into an early stop. He had to fight back hard to take the win and thoroughly deserved it, particularly with his pass on Felipe Massa, Stroll and Nico Hülkenberg into turn one after the restart.

Bottas, too, earned his podium after having to take a new nose on lap two and sealed it with move after move to take second – finally passing Stroll just before the finish line on the final lap. Stroll, at 18 the youngest rookie to get on a podium and the first for Williams since Canada last year, was equally deserving of praise, having dealt with the pressure of the final laps with great maturity.