F1: Hamilton slams 'Orange Army' for cheering his crash

Lewis Hamilton did not hesitate to give spectators a piece of his mind at the Red Bull Ring where this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix is being held. The Mercedes driver was vocal in revealing how appalled he was after hearing cheers emanating from the stands after he crashed out of qualifying on Friday afternoon.

In Q3, both Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell ended up in the barriers. Unfortunately, this delighted the spectators who are predominantly there to support Red Bull, which is the home team. Dutch fans also came in droves as the "Orange Army" to support reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who had a heated battle with Hamilton for the title last season.

When the seven-time world champion crashed in turn seven, he ended u in the barriers fairly close to a grandstand full of people who were cheering. After the incident, he said: "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 then pointed out that a crash is serious business which he feels should never be celebrated. "A driver could have been in hospital, and you are going to cheer that?"

Hamilton qualified in tenth, but started the sprint race in ninth place after a penalty for Red Bull's Sergio Perez. He only gained one spot in the sprint race and will start eighth on Sunday after a bad start and a minor collision with Pierre Gasly.

After the sprint, he spoke about the experience again. "It's just mind-blowing that people would do that, knowing how dangerous our sport is. I'm grateful that I wasn't in hospital and I wasn't heavily injured," he said, as quoted by BBC Sport. "You should never cheer someone's downfall or someone's injury."

Incidentally, Verstappen experienced the same abuse last week in Silverstone. While he did not crash, the crowd was audibly booing every time the Dutchman was focused on or was being interviewed.