Lewis Hamilton insists he and Formula 1 rival Fernando Alonso are "cool", despite a public row in the wake of the European Grand Prix.

Hamilton said he and Ferrari driver Alonso had messaged each other since the race to clear the air.

Alonso had accused Hamilton of disrespect after the McLaren driver overtook the safety car in Valencia.

Hamilton was handed a drive-through penalty but held on to second place; Alonso eventually came eighth.

"We are in touch. He has my number and I have his number," Hamilton told journalists in the run-up to Sunday's British Grand Prix.

"I just messaged him to see how he was doing and he said everything's cool, and he knows how the racing world works, and this is a tough year."

Alonso had been just behind Hamilton in third when the safety car emerged from the pit lane.

Race leader Sebastian Vettel was well clear of the pits, but Hamilton was side-by-side with the safety car and overtook it just as it emerged.

606: DEBATE Give your reaction to the Hamilton-Alonso row

While Alonso ended up in the pack of the cars queuing behind it, Vettel and Hamilton were able to pull away from the rest of the field.

The stewards took 15 laps to hand down Hamilton's punishment, allowing him to build up enough of a cushion to complete the drive-through without losing a place.

Alonso claimed that the race had been "manipulated" and the result was "unfair".

When asked if he believed the Spaniard's reaction had been a case of sour grapes, Hamilton answered: "Yeah".

The pair's fierce rivalry goes back to the 2007 season when they had a tumultuous season as team-mates at McLaren.

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