Lewis Hamilton clears the air with Max Verstappen over Bahrain F1 clash

In the cool down room before the Bahrain podium ceremony a microphone caught Hamilton calling Verstappen a "dickhead" as he and Valtteri Bottas watched a replay of the collision.

Hamilton spoke to Verstappen on Thursday at the Shanghai circuit when they bumped into each other at an autograph session.

"I saw Max just now, and I said to him, I think it's always good to show respect, and regardless of whether I'm the older driver, I felt it was important that I went to him.

"So as we were signing just now I just shook his hand and said, 'I'm sorry about the last race, regardless of whether it was his fault or my fault, it doesn't really matter, it's in the past'.

"Hopefully that sign of respect shows a lot, and helps you kind of turn the pace and move forwards racing each other. I think that's important between drivers."

Asked what the Dutchman said he reply he said: "I don't really know, there was a lot of noise, but he acknowledged me."

Meanwhile Hamilton says he will be more cautious with what he says in the cool down room in the future.

"I've been pretty good in all these years, I think that's the first time I forgot the cameras were kind of there!" he said.

"You'll have less to write about. I don't know if that's worse for the fans. I would say naturally for the media it gives you more fun stuff to write about.

"I'm imagining trying to put you in a scenario where your senses are heightened, your emotions are running crazy, you're infuriated and yet you're excited and adrenaline, and then someone sticks a microphone in your face.

"You're probably not going to answer as well as you would as calm as you are right now.

"It's a difficult one. It is good in sport to see some emotional stuff.

"You go to a hockey game and they don't mind that they have punch-ups and stuff, it's cool.

"If you go to a NASCAR race there's punch-ups. For some reason it's reacted to differently in those sports.

"If you had a punch-up here, your career will be over! I don't know why that is. Sometimes it is fun, but it should be authentic."

Asked by Autosport if he was surprised at the way Vettel had defended him after the race in Bahrain, he said: "I think it's good that we look after each other on many respects, but then we are competitors.

"It was respectful. I like that Sebastian likes to speak his mind. It's cool that he shows some of his personality in that way. It's a good thing."