Lewis Hamilton explains hat throwing incident with Nico Rosberg

Spiky moment between Mercedes team-mates in aftermath of Hamilton's victory in the US Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg after the US Grand Prix (GETTY IMAGES)

Lewis Hamilton has played down the spiky incident between himself and team-mate Nico Rosberg that saw the latter throw a cap in the direction of the freshly crowned F1 champion.

The incident occurred in the moments after Hamilton's victory in the United States Grand Prix, a win that saw the British driver claim his third drivers' championship title.

Hamilton managed to win the race after capitalising on a mistake by Rosberg, which Hamilton pinpoints as the source of his team-mate's obvious frustration.

"I picked up the three caps and mine was at the back, the one with No 1 on the side, so I gave one to Sebastian (Vettel, who was third) and one to Nico (who was second)," Hamilton explained.

"I said, 'Here you go mate', and then it came back at me. I can understand in many respects how it is. It was tough.

"He was disappointed with himself for making a crucial mistake. I guess that, when you come in after the race and are disappointed, the emotions are sometimes unbearable. I don’t take anything from it. I’ve seen Nico in lots of different lights over the years.

"So the hat came past me and I was like, 'No problem'. I’m completely oblivious to it."

Watch the incident below...

Hamilton's title triumph saw him become the first British driver to retain the F1 title and join an elite club of three-time winners which includes his idol Ayrton Senna.

In the glow of his victory in Austin, Hamilton cheekily added: "It’s the worst thing being my team-mate. It’s not good."