F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Vettel and Raikkonen dismiss 'silly' Mercedes talk of foul play

Sebastian Vettel labeled as "silly" suggestions that Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen had deliberately hit Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap of Sunday's British Grand Prix.

An obviously disappointed Hamilton, who had charged back from last to secure second at the end of the day, qualified as "interesting tactics" Raikkonen's mishap when the Finn locked up at Turn 3 and spun the Mercedes around.

A visibly annoyed Toto Wolff also called into question the move, conveying Mercedes' tech boss James Allison's view that the move was either deliberate or incompetent.

Vettel dismissed the words coming out of the Mercedes camp however.

"Things can happen, but I think it's quite silly to think that anything that happened was deliberate," he said.

"At least I would struggle to be that precise in order to take someone out. In France I lost my wing so I screwed my own race.

"I think it's easy to attack and have a great move, and easy to have an incident. I only saw it briefly, and I don't think there was any intention. I find it a bit unnecessary to even go there."

Raikkonen, the culprit of the mishap, and who owned up to his mistake, was equally dismissive of his rivals' comments.

"Funnily enough you start blaming us for doing it on purpose but I locked the wheel, unfortunately we touched and we both paid the price for it and that's how it goes sometimes," said the Finn.

"It's easy to say after the last couple of races that we're suddenly doing something against them, but we've been hit pretty hard many times also, so that's how it goes, unfortunately."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.

Recent Posts

Sutil denies fraud allegations, lawyer claims he’s a victim

Intrigue is swirling around Adrian Sutil after Grand Prix driver was arrested in Germany on…

54 mins ago

A final farewell to motorsport’s single Triple Crown winner

On this day in 1975, a somber mood enveloped St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire as…

2 hours ago

Russell on McLaren’s team-order talk: ‘Not acceptable of fair’

As Abu Dhabi prepares to crown a world champion, McLaren has finally cracked the door…

3 hours ago

Abu Dhabi GP: Norris edges Verstappen in opening practice

Lando Norris opened the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend in commanding fashion, topping the…

3 hours ago

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Free Practice 1 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 1 for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina,…

3 hours ago

F1 drivers squeeze in tradition before Abu Dhabi epic

On the eve of Formula 1’s thrilling 2025 title decider in Abu Dhabi, the entire…

5 hours ago