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Vettel points to first corner 'racing incident'

Sebastian Vettel's Malaysia GP ended at the first corner after the German hit and spun around championship leader Nico Rosberg, permanently damaging his own car in the process.

The Ferrari driver was on the inside of Turn 1 with Max Verstappen on his right, and felt he had been a tad squeezed by the Red Bull driver while the latter labeled Vettel's move as 'crazy'.

"I was going side by side, he [Verstappen] was squeezing me down the inside, he's racing and both of us would have made the corner, no problem," Vettel explained.

"Obviously Nico [Rosberg] decided to do a different line, but he's ahead, and doesn't have to bother with what people are doing behind.

"There are two things that are wrong, Nico without any blame gets turned around, and I'm standing here and the race is still going on."

In retrospect, Vettel appeared to believe that the whole affair had pretty much been a racing incident, although he did allow himself a small dab at Verstappen.

"Racing him is moving around, so everybody knows that by now. When you're squeezed to the inside, your angle doesn't get any better for Turn 1.

"I was trying to do everything I could to get the corner, which I did, without braking massively too late. But Nico tried to cut back I guess to fight Lewis, but at that point we made contact."

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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.