• Spanish Grand Prix

Hamilton accuses Toro Rossos of blocking him

Lewis Hamilton meets fans in Monaco ... but he was less charitable when it came to the subject of Toro Rosso © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Spanish Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Lewis Hamilton

• Teams:
• McLaren
• |
• Toro Rosso

Lewis Hamilton has accused Toro Rosso's drivers of blocking him to assist Sebastian Vettel of their sister team Red Bull.

Speaking after the first day's practice at Monaco, Hamilton claimed he was baulked during the Spanish Grand Prix, costing him time and meaning he was unable to get in a position to overtake Vettel, who eventually beat him by less than a second.

"That kind of thing shouldn't happen because they are not supposed to be a sister team, are they?" Hamilton said. "Definitely in the last race there was some of that … all of a sudden moving in my way, which caused a bigger gap, the gap that I closed to Sebastian and I then lost. They let him past and held me up for the next couple of corners.

"If that continues to happen, some penalties should probably be handed out. I won't complain but I have mentioned it to my team so it is for them to approach the FIA to make sure the stewards are aware of it."

Christian Horner, who a day earlier had suggested Ferrari was copying his pit-stop tactics, denied Hamilton's accusations. "Toro Rosso drivers have often had that complaint from our own drivers as well," he said. "There's no discussion between the teams. The teams operate independently. There are no tactics to help one or the other team."

A spokesman for Toro Rosso said: ""When it became the rule, prior to last season, that you weren't allowed to share any technical knowledge, all co-operation ceased. So the suggestion we would have held up any other car to favour a Red Bull is preposterous, and would never have happened."

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