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Lewis Hamilton burned by rival's 'savage' post-race dig

Kimi Raikkonen appeared to take a cheeky dig at Lewis Hamilton after delaying his coronation as F1 world champion.

The Finnish driver earned his first win in five years on Monday morning, while a good enough day from Ferrari and a late block from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen denied Hamilton a fifth career championship.

Hamilton’s rare defeat in Austin – where he had won the past four races -means his fight with Sebastian Vettel for the title continues to next weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix.

And whether he meant to or not, Raikkonen poured the pain on Hamilton in an awkward post-race encounter.

Raikkonen, Verstappen and Hamilton post-race. Image: Channel 4
Raikkonen, Verstappen and Hamilton post-race. Image: Channel 4

As you can see in the video above, Raikkonen (dead-pan as usual) asked Hamilton if he’d done enough to clinch the championship, which was met with a terse “no”.

“I didn’t know,” Raikkonen claimed as others in the vicinity, including Verstappen, laughed.

While it’s not clear whether or not Raikkonen was having a go at Hamilton, many fans saw it that way.

Raikkonen ends historic winless streak

Prior to Sunday, Raikkonen’s most previous win had been with Lotus at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in 2013.

The streak of 113 races in between wins is an all-time F1 record.

Raikkonen seldom cracks a smile or shows much emotion but he shouted an expletive on the team radio after the final lap.

He was then his typical stoic self after a brief victory celebration at the podium.

“It’s nice to win. It doesn’t change my life,” Raikkonen said. “The biggest difference is how people look (at) you.”

Kimi Raikkonen celebrates on the podium alongside Lewis Hamilton. (photo by Octane/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Kimi Raikkonen celebrates on the podium alongside Lewis Hamilton. (photo by Octane/Action Plus via Getty Images)

Raikkonen will be leaving Ferrari to join Sauber after this season, moving from car capable of winning to a team that is rarely competitive.

“I’m very happy where I’m going. I won the championship with (Ferrari),” Raikkonen said. “As a driver I want different challenges.”

Meanwhile, Force India’s Esteban Ocon and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen were disqualified after stewards found they had broken fuel regulations.

That meant Sergio Perez moved up to eighth, Brendon Hartley to ninth and Marcus Ericsson taking the final point in 10th.

with AAP