Hamilton moves on from Verstappen controversy

Lewis Hamilton has moved to bury the hatchet with Max Verstappen after their tangle at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which prompted Hamilton to label to Red Bull driver a "dickhead". Verstappen had to retire due to the damage caused by a puncture when he collided with the world champion at turn one in Sakhir.

Both drivers were displaced on the grid - Verstappen after crashing in qualifying, Hamilton by a gearbox penalty - and Verstappen had fought through four cars to catch Hamilton by the end of the first lap, before diving down the inside of the Mercedes.

Contact was made between Verstappen's rear-left tyre and Hamilton's front wing, ultimately ending the Dutchman's race, although Hamilton went on to finish third.

Speaking at Thursday's pre-race press conference, Verstappen said he would not change and said it was "easy" for Hamilton to blame him owing to his age.

Aiming for the podium ????
Changing driving style ????

It's business as usual for @Max33Verstappen at the #ChineseGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/yehKAXJJS8 — Formula 1 (@F1) April 12, 2018

But Hamilton was not looking to heap any blame on Verstappen as he looked ahead to the Chinese Grand Prix.

"Just as we were completing the fans' signing session I shook his hand and I said, 'Look, I am sorry about the last race'," Hamilton said.

"It is good to show respect, and regardless if I am the older driver - in fact it being more important that I am the older driver - I felt it was important that I went to him.

"If it was his fault, or my fault, it doesn't really matter as it is now in the past.

"Hopefully that sign of respect by me shows we can turn the page, move forward in racing each other, because that is important between us drivers."

Hamilton's controversial remark was made in the cool room as he watched the incident back and it offered the four-time champion a lesson.

"I will be more cautious," Hamilton laughed. "I have been pretty good in all these years, and that was the first time I forgot the camera was there.

"Imagine being in a scenario where your senses are heightened and your emotions are running crazy. You are infuriated, but yet you're excited on an adrenalin rush, and then somebody puts a microphone in your face.

"You are probably not going to answer as calmly as you would under normal circumstances, but people judge you on that moment and you don't feel great.

"But it is good in sport to see some emotion, and if you go to a hockey game, they don't mind that there are punch-ups. In NASCAR races there are punch-ups too, but jeez, if we had a punch-up here, your career would be over."

Asked if he had come close to such an episode, Hamilton replied: "I have, yes! I am not going to tell you when it was, but I still feel today I should have [gone through with it] and I wish I did. I so badly wish I did, but the time passed and it didn't happen."