Nico Rosberg says he was just playing "some games" when he threw his cap back at Lewis Hamilton after the United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton was celebrating clinching his third drivers' championship in the pre-podium drivers' room when he picked up the Pirelli hats for first, second and third position. After passing the latter to Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, he threw the other across to Mercedes team-mate Rosberg who was sat in the corner of the room, only for the German to immediately throwing it back at Hamilton in what appeared to be an aggressive manner.
However Rosberg insists there was nothing more to it than some fun with his team-mate.
"That was just some games so nothing much, nothing more than that," Rosberg said afterwards.
Rosberg, who was already upset with what he perceived to be overly-aggressive driving from his team-mate at Turn 1, had been in a prime position to win the Austin race until a mistake eight laps from the flag gave Hamilton the win and the points swing he needed to clinch the title.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff defended Rosberg, saying: "It's clear as a racing driver who has just lost a world championship for a second time against his team-mate in a tough race where certainly Turn 1 wasn't very nice and then he lost by his own mistake. It's clear that if he is upset we have to have respect for that."