Verstappen eventually went on to win the race, his 10th of the season, to take a 109-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship over Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez.
Hamilton, who finished fourth after the Briton made a technical error that put his car into the wrong engine mode, defended Schmitz from any criticism after social media users claiming to be members of Team LH, Hamilton’s fanbase, made allegations of a conspiracy between Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
“The language and hateful comments directed at Red Bull’s head of strategy Hannah Schmitz is intolerable and should not be condoned. This sport is cut-throat and you have to be ready for absolutely anything, and that’s what she did today,” a statement read.
“There are a lot of positives to take from Lewis’ race today, and that’s exactly what we are focussing on doing. Thank you for your unwavering support for LH. We win and we lose together.”
