Vettel forces him to back out by coming across, but it wasn't safe to do so because Kimi's wider rear tyre was in line with Verstappen's front. Inevitable collision from Max's perspective.
Kimi is to blame for having made the perfect start and being in a place he had no right to normally be in, and you can't blame anyone for doing that. Maybe we should blame the town planner for putting a wall there. It's as clear a race incident as you're likely to see
Looking at that again it seems Vettel was heading for trouble..if he had avoided Max he would have crashed right into his teammate....not too much brain work there by Vettel. As Hamilton said before the race...the long game....and he and Danny did the right thing when the saw Vettel moving over left to Max they kept to the right and avoided the collisions.
Weirdly despite being in a title battle for the first time in years, I feel Vettels stock has decreased this year. He's had his moments for sure, but still.
There was no way of knowing Kimi would make such a perfect start and be where he was, he absolutely nailed it. And Vettel wouldn't have been able to see him, as far as he knew the only person on his left was Max, and he'd given him enough room.
Try explaining that to the judge when you've pulled left across two lanes and crashed into two cars, sorry but 6 points and £1000 fine, guilty as charged !!!
When you start trying to apply the highway code to motor racing you really have to start questioning your motives.
Vettel heard Max say before that race that his only change is going for it at the start and that he had nothing to lose...commonsense should have told Vettel to avoid the red bull and give himself a chance later on....even if Kimi had gotten third place at the start he would have had to give it right back to Vettel...that's how Ferarri operates...so there was no reason to right up there on Max. The long game remember?
Its nothing to do with the highway code lad, its about being aware, if you don't know whats along side you, then you need to question not motives but skill level. Vettels driving today was atrocious, not whats required in F1.
Vettel knew he didn't get a great start and wasn't far enough clear of the field to pull that sort of move safely. You have to take into account that there might be another car there. Reminds me a bit of Brazil 2012 where assumed nobody would be there and when Bruno Senna was on the apex it nearly cost him the championship.
any evidence of Ferrari telling Kimi to move over? so far IIRC he's had to pass Kimi 3 times, and each time it's been on his own merit, not a team order, the only questionable decision was Monaco, but even then Kimi wasn't the first to stop, Max was, so Ferrari covered the under-cut. as to the rest, no one purposefully gives up the lead on the opening lap on a track that is difficult to pass on simply because the guy on the front trow next to you says he's going to try and win, if they do they wouldn't have made it to F1
Sorry , but Vettel was aware Max was on his left , IMHO the thing here is nobody expected Kimi to get the start he did . Just a racing incident IMHO .
I still think penalties will play a part in the outcome of this years WDC , don't want it to , but think it will .
Agreed ASC. A millisecond before contact with Raikkonen, he has backed off (or braking) before both Ferraris. I think Verstappen was the only driver of the three to see the bigger picture, albeit too late to be able to do more than what he did and cross his fingers in the same instant. It's easy to say this in hindsight, but considering his position leading the standings and with his main rival starting fifth, what Vettel did was not cool: it was asking for trouble – particularly in such conditions.
It's a racing incident i agree, but the kind you need to be avoiding to win a close championship. He assumes nobody is on Verstappen's left and he'd be right 90% of the time, but that 10% will hit hard. Costly and unnecessary when the Ferrari probably a sizeable pace advantage today looking at how Ricciardo performed. It's just hot headed.
Ferrari's first ever first-lap double retirement It's taken 67 years, nearly 1,000 grands prix and 108 drivers, the likes of Ascari, Fangio, Hawthorn, Surtees, Lauda, Andretti, Villenueve, Prost, Mansell and Schumacher have come and gone, but Ferrari have finally suffered the ignominy of having two drivers retire on the opening lap of a race. Now that has been a long time coming.
