Sebastian Vettel said the first corner crash at the Singapore Grand Prix which eliminated him and three other drivers was “part of racing”.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to discuss,” said Vettel. “With things like this happening, what can you do?”
“Looking at it now obviously that’s been one race where we didn’t finish. It certainly didn’t help that Lewis [Hamilton] scored a lot of points but that’s the way it goes.”
The Ferrari said there wasn’t much to be learned from dwelling on the circumstances of the crash.
“I think it would have been more difficult if I had lost the car somewhere in the race,” said Vettel. “Then it’s obviously different.”
Vettel, Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen all faced the stewards after the race, who ruled the crash was a racing incident.
“with a collision at the start like that, we after the race had to face the stewards, what can you do? The lights went off, we did our start, everyone was trying to do his start and then look at the way it happened, it ended up pretty bad for all three of us and that was it.”
“I think it’s part of racing,” Vettel added. It’s also not the first time I’m in a situation like this, probably it will not be the last time.”
“These things happen, not much you can do and therefore not much point to try and look at them again and again. I think your time and your energy is more well spent looking forward.”
Hakk The Rack
28th September 2017, 8:58
“I don’t think it’s necessary to discuss,” said Vettel. “With things like this happening, what can you do?”. You can called TORPEDO other guy next time in front of the cameras, when he does same as you did last time, Mr Vettel.
Kribana (@krichelle)
28th September 2017, 9:01
With how this season has gone… Kyvat should hand his title as the TORPEDO to Seb. TORPEEEDO
Hakk The Rack
28th September 2017, 9:43
In matter of fact we love to jump on poor Kvyat, but in my opinion this Sepang’s Kvyats 2016 move was clean. It’s just Vettel who loves to make a cucumber from all around during his poor times.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
28th September 2017, 9:05
Good ol’ Seb. This is as good an admission of guilt he can ever seem to muster…
“STOP TALKING ABOUT THE THING I DID!”
F Truth (@)
28th September 2017, 9:58
+1
We saw it post Baku, we see it now.
JCost (@jcost)
28th September 2017, 11:13
+1. Seb needs a PR advisor.
Karl
28th September 2017, 12:40
That would just make his as boring as everyone else! We need less advisors, more personality.
Robbie (@robbie)
28th September 2017, 11:36
Well it was a racing incident and one can’t change the past. That’s racing. Many things in F1 get debated ad infinitum for years, but all the drivers know is they have a race this weekend to focus on. Was anyone expecting SV to keep dwelling on it…a racing incident?
thepostalserviceisbroke (@thepostalserviceisbroke)
28th September 2017, 14:43
Yep, a racing incident…that he caused.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
28th September 2017, 15:38
Mozambique is an enclave….that doesn’t only border ZA
Robbie (@robbie)
28th September 2017, 17:23
@thepostalserviceisbroke So where was his penalty then?
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
28th September 2017, 18:47
All three drivers were partially at fault (hence a racing incident) but not equally however. It’s pretty clear to everyone who’s not wearing ferrari/vettel glasses that vettel took a big risk that he shouldn’t have taken in his position.
Now, in stead off gaining 7 to 15 points on Hamilton he lost 25 pts to his rival. If/when Hamilton wins the title by less than 25 points, Singapore is all Vettel will be dwelling on I recon.
thepostalserviceisbroke (@thepostalserviceisbroke)
29th September 2017, 15:01
You think the stewards penalize every wrong action a driver takes. That’s cute.
Ben
28th September 2017, 9:21
I’m sure it would be all he was talking about if it wasn’t his fault.
Blastermaster
28th September 2017, 9:47
@Ben Agreed 100%
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
28th September 2017, 18:48
Probably yeah..
JohnH (@johnrkh)
28th September 2017, 9:51
I agree it’s now public record, Vettel blew it and wrecked the race of three others. It was not a “racing incident” it was panic!
He is not the driver some make him out to be, no wonder he gets faint at the thought of having Ricciardo as a team mate again.
Robbie (@robbie)
28th September 2017, 11:28
Oh please.
Jake (@jagged-jake)
28th September 2017, 16:38
@robbie I am an admire of your F1 insights and logic, but one thing you need to admit to me, you are the Finger boy’s fan isn’t :)
Robbie (@robbie)
28th September 2017, 17:31
Can’t really say I’m a fan but I’ve never minded him, and I just find a lot of the anti-Vettel rhetoric way over the top. I do hope he can challenge LH for the rest of the season and come out on top, but if he doesn’t LH will have earned his 4th and deservedly, lol pending any whacky things that may or may not happen in the final third of the season.
Blazzz
28th September 2017, 13:51
I’m going to throw in a dig here. That’s all he’ll be dwelling on if he loses the championship by the points swing in Singapore.
AV (@b4lr0g)
28th September 2017, 14:00
It’s not the matter of if but when
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
28th September 2017, 15:40
@b4lr0g He still has a higher chances of becoming WDC than Kimi in 2007 though.
That said 2007 was rather……unusual (no I don’t see Mercedes doing a China 2007-style error. I just don’t)
Blazzz
28th September 2017, 16:23
Quite. In 2007 the entire Mclaren team [including the drivers] imploded.
M
28th September 2017, 17:22
The FIA and Mclaren staged the results. They could not allow a rookie to win the title his 1st year.
Esploratore
29th September 2017, 3:10
@M (doesn’t let me reply to that): there’s also rumors that on top of the 100 million dollars fine, mclaren also had to let ferrari win the driver championship, which would explain hamilton staying out too long with consumed tyres, getting stuck in the pit lane, and then the gearbox issue curiously lasting only 30 seconds in brazil, seen them on youtube somewhere. And alonso crashing at fuji ofc, since they got excluded from the WCC earlier than that.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
28th September 2017, 15:25
Yeah, yeah, just a flesh wound.
Nikhil Patel (@tiya)
28th September 2017, 15:51
Always learn from others’ mistakes, you won’t live long enough to make them all on your own.
Hamilton will surely be more cautious in the coming races.
Everyone (Ferrari & Mercedes) talking about how nothing has changed: I don’t believe it.
RP (@slotopen)
28th September 2017, 17:34
Yes!
Vettel may or may not believe he did anything wrong. He’s got to make those kind of moves, but he misjudged in Singapore. Badly, in my opinion, because the move wasn’t just poorly executed but ill advised given the WDC situation.
Now things have swung toward Merc and Hamilton in big ways. They can manage equipment to finish races, not win them.
They can manage strategy to get good results for Hamilton but not necessary wins. They could even let Bottas win a race if things don’t go well for Ferrari.
Hamilton is in a great spot too. He is motivated but not desperate.
I think Vettel could be forgiven the incident in Singapore by itself. But the incident in Baku shows a lack of self control, and Singapore fits that narrative. Vettel needs to deal with it before it costs him a winnable title, if it hasn’t already. Or even worse, before somebody gets hurt.
Robbie (@robbie)
28th September 2017, 17:36
Possibly, but one can only be so cautious before one is simply giving positions away. The way I think of ‘nothing has changed’ is that the drivers and teams are going to do what they always do…go for the win every race weekend. Do their best. Let the chips fall where they may.
Robbie (@robbie)
28th September 2017, 17:40
My response was @tiya but @slotopen you make valid points. Just not your last sentence.
Philip (@philipgb)
28th September 2017, 17:56
While the crash was Vettel’s fault, I still think he did the right thing being aggressive despite how much he had at stake.
We’ll get to play hypothetical games come season end, and I think we will see that even if Vettel had finished the race, if he hadn’t taken the full 25 points (and maybe even if he had still) that Hamilton would still have won the championship due to the expected advantage of the Mercedes on the upcoming circuits.
18 or less points from Singapore in my estimation would have been no more use to him in the title battle than zero points so it’s worth him being aggressive.
BigJoe
28th September 2017, 21:38
‘the right thing’ maybe he should have ‘Schumachered’ Hamilton off the circuit as he passed. He’d probably be more liked if he did. Worked for Schummi.
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
28th September 2017, 18:43
Vettel doesn’t want to talk about a mistake he made, which he doens’t want to admitt… what else is new?
Glenn
28th September 2017, 22:22
It’s in Vettel’s instincts to overcrowd another driver, it’s a gamble he makes and has paid the price.