Lewis Hamilton "goes a bit too far", is "clumsy" or "completely mad", depending on who you listened to after the Canadian grand prix.
After several run-ins with the stewards this year, the McLaren driver was involved in more incidents in Montreal, including one that moved his teammate Jenson Button to exclaim on the radio: "What is he doing?"
The pair and boss Martin Whitmarsh later played down the incident and the stewards took no action after an investigation, but Mark Webber hit out at Hamilton’s earlier "clumsy" manoeuvre that tipped him into a spin.
"I think Lewis thought the chequered flag was in turn three," said the Australian dryly.
F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss said on BBC radio that he thinks Hamilton, 26, often "goes a bit too far" now that he is no longer managed by his father.
On RTL television, Niki Lauda went much further: "He is completely mad. At some point, there has to be an end to all the jokes. You cannot drive like this — as it will result in someone getting killed."
But the stewards remained calm, also when after the race investigating a collision between Button and Fernando Alonso that threatened the former’s victory.
Alonso was unhappy with the decision.
"The McLaren is an indestructible car," he said, apparently referring also to Button’s contact with his teammate. "The officials have investigated but I have a different opinion," Alonso told Spanish reporters.
"I think when we finally get our luck back we’ll win a championship in half a season," he rued.