No need for Canadian clash inquest - Hamilton

Just four weeks after Hamilton and Rosberg collided on the opening lap of the Spanish Grand Prix, the duo were involved in a first-corner skirmish in Canada.

After polesitter Hamilton's slow start, he was passed by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who started third, while Rosberg drew alongside him into Turn 1.

The pair touched wheels, and while Hamilton survived, Rosberg was forced to take the escape route through the first chicane, rejoining in ninth place and "pissed off".

Hamilton went on to claim victory, while Rosberg recovered to fifth, albeit with his 43-point championship lead from two races ago now whittled down to just nine.

Addressing what both Rosberg and Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff described as "a hard manoeuvre", Hamilton said: "I don't see it as something the team has to look at.

"You couldn't have predicted we'd be side by side going into the first corner. Nico was on the outside, I was on the inside, so I was on the racing line.

"Watching the replay, Vettel was close in front of me, so I couldn't have braked later if I'd wanted to.

"I don't know if I got a tailwind or a loss of downforce from being so close to him, but I just had understeer, and after watching it was the smallest tap.

"On my side I barely felt it, whereas he had to go another way, and sometimes you make it around the outside, sometimes you don't.

"On this occasion it didn't work."

Rosberg believes he had to go for a pass on Hamilton, as he did at Barcelona when he pulled off a superb overtake around the outside of Turn 1 before their major collision on the run down to Turn 4.

"OK, I had to try to go around the outside otherwise I accept I'm behind Lewis," he said.

"In Barcelona it worked, this time it didn't work.

"It was a hard maneouvre from him, but that's racing. I need to do a better job next time.

"I lost a lot of places, that cost me the race of course, and then after that I fought back, was on for the podium, and then I got a puncture again."