Niki Lauda says Lewis Hamilton cannot take any of the blame for the first lap incident which saw both Hamilton and title rival Sebastian Vettel pit for repairs on the opening lap of the Mexican Grand Prix.
There was instant drama at the start of Sunday's race as Max Verstappen claimed the lead off polesitter Vettel around the outside of Turn 1. Hamilton managed to get up to second briefly, but Vettel -- who suffered some oversteer on the exit of Turn 2 -- hit Hamilton's right-rear tyre and gave the Mercedes driver a puncture.
Vettel and Hamilton recovered to fourth and ninth respectively -- a result which means Hamilton was crowned champion. Lauda questioned Vettel's actions at the start of the race.
"Unusual, when you're world champion, you're world champion -- it's very simple,'' Lauda told Sky Sports. "Nobody cares how you're going to do it. What I don't understand is the aggressive manoeuvre of Vettel in the first corner, which hit Lewis hard, it wasn't his fault and all this drama started, but in the end, it worked out fantastic.''
Hamilton's form since the summer break has been impressive -- winning five of the previous seven races. Lauda believes Hamilton's improvement from 2016 to 2017 as a driver is the main reason to why he won this year's title.
"Lewis was able to especially this year to improve a lot. If you want to be a four-time champion you have to get better and better. From last year to this year, he got much better. Incredible step forward, difficult car to drive, not so quick than last year, not so easy and he really made it with his own performances.''