Vasseur happy to let drivers settle Barcelona collision

Renault racing director Frédéric Vasseur says he did not have to intervene in the wake of drivers Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen colliding on the last lap of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were not the only driver pairing to come together in Barcelona, though Renault’s intra-team scuffle did not end as acrimoniously.

Running 14th on a fresher set of soft tyres, Magnussen attempted an optimistic lunge on the inside of Palmer, then on the hard compound, at the final chicane with the two R.S.16s ultimately making contact.

Both drivers survived the clash to finish the race, though the Dane was handed a 10-second time penalty afterwards.

“For our incident I didn’t have to say anything at all, not to one nor the other!” Vasseur said. “Kevin and Jolyon spoke to each other in a very open and honest manner afterwards and it was good to see them do that directly between the two of them.

“In my mind it’s the best way to manage situations like these. We didn’t lose anything as a team. The incident is firmly closed, there is nothing more to talk about.”

Speaking after the grand prix, Magnussen accepted the blame and said he had apologised to Palmer, calling his overtaking move “unnecessary”.

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