Vettel: I couldn’t avoid the collision;
Ferrari's race took a completely different turn after the first lap. Sebastian Vettel tangled with Nico Rosberg and had to retire, leaving his podium hopes in the hands of Kimi Räikkönen, who could only manage fourth place. Between bitterness and disappointment, Ferrari's weekend was ultimately a reflection of its season.
The first lap of this Malaysian Grand Prix was the turning point of the race for Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel. After an overly optimistic attack on Nico Rosberg, the four-time German world champion collided with the Mercedes and broke the front left suspension of his Ferrari.
Unable to continue under these conditions, Vettel then pulled over to the side, already thinking about possible justifications for his overtaking deemed “idiot” by a Max Verstappen caught in a sandwich in the first corner. “Sebastian is crazy. He charged at Rosberg like an idiot!” exclaimed the Dutchman over his radio after the incident.
What Vettel attempted to respond to after getting out of his car and returning to his pit; « We made a good start. We were side by side with Max. We were both fighting for our position in the first corner. Nico, in front of us, turned, and he decided to take his line, which is totally fair and was his right. At that moment, with the speed, I couldn’t slow down more and I was also pushed by Max on the right. I did my best to brake as much as possible, but I couldn’t avoid the collision. It was an unfortunate chain reaction that ruined my race and Nico’s. »
Even though he acknowledges his mistake, Vettel sees this collision more as a racing incident: “I can’t be more sorry for Nico, as the incident had nothing to do with him, who was in front. I think it’s different from the case between Max and Kimi at Spa because Max and I were trying to fight at the first corner and Nico was attempting something different ahead. But I don’t have to comment on what Max said after that.”
To save face and especially to try to stop the bleeding of lost points in the Constructors’ Championship against Red Bull, Räikkönen drove a solid race to finish in fourth place: « The fourth place is not the result we were expecting, but unfortunately, today, we couldn’t hope for more. We lacked speed and therefore couldn’t fight with the cars ahead. » concluded the Finn.
