Sebastian Vettel has spoken out publicly for the first time since last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, and the open conflict continues to brew between the Ferrari driver and tyre supplier Pirelli.
Vettel made his thoughts clear on the matter in the Belgian paddock, mincing no words in the aftermath of his retirement on the penultimate lap following a tyre failure on the exit of Eau Rouge.
Pirelli's Paul Hembery responded by putting the blame in the Ferrari camp, emphasizing the fact that excessive tyre wear was the root cause of Vettel's demise on Sunday as Ferrari stretched its strategy to the rubber's limits.
"Just to make things clear: the team and I decided our strategy for the race together, " Vettel said in a comment posted on his website Tuesday evening.
"I support the team and the team supports me, and this is what makes us a team. Our strategy was never risky, at any point. The team is not to blame. We deserved to finish on the podium, but that's racing; a different thing though is not to finish the race because of what happened."
"This is not easy to accept for a driver, even if it's not as bad as in Silverstone a few years ago [when numerous blowouts occurred during the 2013 British Grand Prix]. But still we need to talk to each other as it can't happen without prior notice."
Both parties are currently conduction their own investigation into the matter and have decided to meet in Monza next week to 'clear the air' and straighten things out.
Click here for F1i's driver ratings after the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
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