Vasseur: Verstappen move on Raikkonen was 'stupid'

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Alfa Romeo Racing boss Frédéric Vasseur pointed an accusatory finger at Max Verstappen after Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, insisting the Red Bull driver was responsible for the first corner contact that ruined Kimi Raikkonen's race.

Verstappen bogged down at the start and struggled to hold his own on the run up to La Source. The Dutchman held the inside line and bumped Raikkonen's right rear as the Finn steered into the corner.

The subsequent contact inflicted damage to both cars, with the Red Bull charger ending his race in the tyre barrier at Eau Rouge and Raikkonen hampered for the duration of the event by a broken floor.

'Poor start' wreaks havoc on Verstappen's Belgian GP

"I don't know what happened with Verstappen," Vasseur told Motorsport.com. "But he came from nowhere, he was even behind Perez before the braking.

"He tried to get two cars in the first corner, and it's stupid because in Spa you can overtake, and you have room to do something.

"We are not in Budapest or in Monaco. The car was completely damaged, we were missing half of the floor."

The stewards labeled the spat a racing incident, while Verstappen insisted he simply had nowhere to go.

"I think Kimi just expected that he was completely in front of me," the Dutchman said.

"Of course, I braked a little later than the other two, but it was still very early. At one point he went on to do his normal line and I couldn't go anywhere."

Red Bull's Christian Horner also agreed the clash was incidental.

"Max remarkably has had a run since Hungary last year where he's finished top five in every grand prix," Horner argued.

"Twenty-one races or whatever it's been. It was almost an action replay of the incident here in 2016 with Kimi again.

"Maybe it's a blind spot for Kimi! It's a racing incident.

"He's gone in low, I don't think Kimi knew he was there. The problem is we'd had a poor start. At that point you're in the pack and unfortunately it's bitten us today."

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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.