Young age no longer an excuse for Verstappen mishaps - Vettel

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Sebastian Vettel believes Max Verstappen's young age should no longer serve as an excuse to justify the lack of judgment shown by the Red Bull driver.

Fighting for second in the latter stages of the race, Vettel and Verstappen collided when the Dutchman attempted an over-zealous move at the hairpin on his Ferrari rival which briefly stranded both drivers before they recovered and finished respectively fifth and eighth.

The mishap was particularly painful for Vettel who, after leading the early part of the race, was hoping to salvage a spot on podium after being undercut earlier by Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas.

"I didn't see him until very late, so I left him a little bit of room as well," said Vettel.

"To be honest I was expecting him to come earlier. I had no intention to resist because it was clear, with Daniel as well, that there was no point doing so, they were just too fast on the fresh tyres.

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"I didn't want to compromise my race to the guys behind.

"Obviously he did a mistake, he locked up, which happens. We had a tail-wind down the straight the whole race, I guess he misjudged obviously and sort of compromised both of our results."

The German had a brief chat with his opponent right after the race, and while Verstappen accepted the blame for the incident, Vettel dismissed the often mentioned notion that the 20-year-old should be given some leeway because of his young age.

"He's done enough races," Vettel said.

"Again, this can happen to you when you've done 300 races. Inside the car, you mustn't that the judgments are very difficult to make, but you have to ultimately have these things in mind and make sure you don't crash.

"He could have easily taken his front wing off, get a puncture or whatever, and then it's game over for both of us in that case. We were both lucky, that's how it goes."

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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.