Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has criticised fans at the Austrian Grand Prix for cheering when he crashed in qualifying.

The Brit went off at turn seven, close to a stand packed with Dutch fans of 2021 rival Max Verstappen, and they made their voices very clear and made it obvious how delighted they were at seeing him crash off the track.

Speaking on the matter, Hamilton said: "I was going through a bunch of stuff in the crash, but to hear it afterwards you know... I don't agree with any of that, no matter what.

"A driver could have been in hospital, and you are going to cheer that?"

The incident left Hamilton 10th in qualifying. However, he was soon promoted up one place to ninth on the grid for Saturday’s Sprint event due to a penalty for Red Bull's Sergio Perez.

"It's just mind-blowing that people would do that, knowing how dangerous our sport is. I'm grateful that I wasn't in hospital and I wasn't heavily injured,” Hamilton added.

"You should never cheer someone's downfall or someone's injury."

Elsewhere, Formula 1 have taken to social media to confirm that an investigation has been launched with regards to reports of fans being subjected to “completely unacceptable” abuse at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Hamilton then took to Instagram himself to have more of a say on the recent situation: "Disgusted and disappointed to hear that some fans are facing racist, homophobic and generally abusive behaviour at the circuit this weekend.

"Attending the Austrian Grand Prix or any GP should never be a source of anxiety and pain for fans and something must be done to ensure that races are safe spaces for all.

"Please, if you see this happening, report it to circuit security and to F1. We cannot sit back and allow this to continue."

Hamilton is currently sixth in the Drivers' Championship for this season and has endured a tough campaign so far. 

He's currently 19 points behind his teammate George Russell, but a staggering 99 points behind leader Verstappen.

Although his dream of an eighth Drivers' Championship is already likely over, Hamilton will still want to finish as high up as possible, and also help Mercedes finish as high as possible in the Constructors' Championship.

He managed to nab a respectable podium place this weekend in Austria, so things are slowly looking up for the Brit in his Mercedes.