Stewart: 'Hamilton should take some of the blame'

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Sir Jackie Stewart judged Sebastian Vettel's conduct in Sunday's Azerbaijan GP as unacceptable, but the Scot also believes Lewis Hamilton played a role in the incident involving the two men.

Like many, Stewart was shocked to see Vettel pull up alongside his rival and barge into the side of the Mercedes, but the F1 legend says there was a clear starting point to the Ferrari driver's sudden road rage.

"Vettel's reputation is certainly tarnished," Stewart told Press Association Sport.

"But at the same time what created the incident is what occurred when Lewis slowed down so quickly in a very unlikely place. You have got to take that into account.

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"That was a shock to Sebastian, and that is why he came alongside Lewis to ask ‘what the hell are you doing?’ What Vettel then did was to unquestionably collide with Hamilton.

"There is no room for that, no excuse for that and it is wrong. It is inappropriate behaviour.

"It would be very simple to put the complete blame on one man, but what initiated the bad behaviour was what happened before.

"It was totally unexpected. I am not trying to hook Lewis into this the wrong way, but that was the whole crux of what happened.

"Lewis put his brakes on so hard that Vettel hit him. I am not blaming Lewis for the accident but I have to say I have never seen anyone come off the throttle so quickly.

"You either to do it to surprise them, but what happened was the surprise was too severe."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.