Villeneuve: 'You can't take risks like that!'

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Jacques Villeneuve says that Sebastian Vettel only has himself to blame for the catastrophic outcome of his move at the start of Singapore Grand Prix.

While the race stewards labeled the mayhem which occurred on Sunday as a racing incident, a majority of observers agree that Sebastian Vettel took a high-risk decision when he defended his line by moving left on the run down to Turn 1.

"Vettel only has himself to blame," Villeneuce told Motorsport.com.

"If you take a start and move across the line, the chances are something might happen because you don't know what is happening behind.

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"They all do that at every start, you see that in Formula 4, Formula 3, they move across the line. Well if you do that, you pay the price.

"When you fight for a championship, you cannot take a risk like that," insisted the 1997 F1 world champion.

The Canadian is resolutely against the defensive tactic used by Vettel, but doesn't believe the German deserved to be punished.

"I think he has penalised himself already enough," added Villeneuve.

"That was a track where the Ferrari should have taken a lot of points, so yes, it's very heavy.

"But there are still six races, anything can happen. Lewis will do something. Just relax. It's annoying, but that's the way it is."

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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.