Press reaction: Lewis Hamilton 'drove like a man who had drunk eight pints'

A slow start off the line for both front row-starting Mercedes was compounded on lap one when Hamilton went off at the chicane and ran through the gravel trap, dropping him to 11th.

Hamilton then fought his way back through the field to fourth, with a safety car later appearing to aid his cause by bunching up the field.

The championship leader, though, collided with Daniel Ricciardo at the restart, requiring not only a new front wing, but also earning a drive-through penalty for the incident.

After finishing sixth, Hamilton conceded it had been “a bad day at the office” and apologised to his team.

Such candour did not spare him a working over in the press this morning, though.

At the forefront of criticism was the Daily Mail, which used the headline ‘It’s Lewis in Blunderland’ above a stinging piece by reporter Jonathan McEvoy.

He wrote: “Lewis Hamilton raced around the Hungaroring like a man driving back from the Dog and Duck after eight pints. He was self-destructive, a danger to others and weaving willy-nilly. That might be a mild exaggeration but there is no libel in saying so. He admitted as much afterwards.”

The Daily Telegraph was just as cutting in its analysis of Hamilton’s horror show.

F1 correspondent Daniel Johnson wrote: “Lewis Hamilton has gone from beating all the rest, to beating himself. While Sebastian Vettel kept his cool on a manic and dramatic afternoon at the Hungaroring, Hamilton at times raced more like a rookie than a two-time world champion, with a bewilderingly dreadful drive.

“Starting from a dominant pole position, it was just one of those days for Hamilton; the kind of rash performance which holds back his elevation to the status of being a truly great champion, ranked among the top five or six of all time.

"Both inexplicable and ill-judged, Hamilton was at a loss to articulate why it went so wrong, other than a bad night’s sleep and a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.”

An apologetic Hamilton posted the following message on Instagram:

“Today was yet another test of overcoming adversity & personal mistakes. I can honestly say, it did not go to plan, but I drove my heart out and I am proud of myself regardless of the outcome. I will grow from this, refocus and come back strong. I think of how supportive #TeamLH is and it keeps me going. So thank you, and remember.”