Maldonado and Hamilton collided for a third time, with the latter suffering heavily after being punted into a wall on the penultimate lap of the European Grand Prix yesterday.

Explaining his version of events, Maldonado said: "He made a very aggressive move on me. He tried to put me off the track, which was a big risk for him.

"I don't know why he drove like that. He was completely lost."

The stewards, however, gave him a drive-through penalty, adding 20 seconds to his elapsed race time, costing him 10th place.

Hamilton added: "I've had a bad day in the office."

The incident leaves Hamilton 23 points adrift of race winner Fernando Alonso having gone into the race two points ahead.

Kimi Raikkonen came in second while Mercedes driver Michael Shumacher finished third in Valencia.