Vettel apologises for Button crash

August 29, 2010 at 3:07 pm by Keith Collantine

Sebastian Vettel apologised for taking Jenson Button out of the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver lost control of his car while trying to pass the McLaren and crashed into Button’s sidepod. Button had to retire immediately afterwards.

Vettel said he didn’t mean to hit Button:

I’m sorry, obviously it was not my intention to destroy his race or mine.

I was close – I was faster than him and I knew it would be close with Robert behind us.

I tried to outbrake him on the outside. When I changed from the inside to the outside I lost it under braking over the bump and crashed into him.

That meant the end of my race and also the end of his race.
Sebastien Vettel

Vettel was handed a drive-through penalty for causing an avoidable accident. Afterwards he had another collision with Vitantonio Liuzzi. He said:

The car wasn’t perfect after the incident with Jenson. Then we went out again, I had the penalty, and looking back, with the rain, in the end we could have got decent points.

Unfortunately with Vitantonio, I was already passed him and he destroyed my left rear tyre. I had a puncture and had to drive all the way to come back into the pits.
Sebastien Vettel

Vettel eventually finished 15th, out of the points.

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99 comments on Vettel apologises for Button crash

David L said on 30th August 2010, 2:12

Simon, yes other drivers make overtaking mistakes, but not over and over again. Vettel surely is a dangerous driver to have behind you.
Now little Sebastian, stand in the corner and repeat 10 times “I MUST LEARN HOW TO OVERTAKE SAFTELY”

David L said on 30th August 2010, 2:24

TMAX……make your mind up! first you say the race stewards were immature and then you say you admire and miss the drivers of the 80′s & 90′s.
Well mate, have you ever heard of NIGEL MANSELL, one of the immature stewards you are blabbing about.

David L said on 30th August 2010, 2:31

As someone has already said, Vettel just expects that every driver will automatically move over for him, but why should they.

Mike said on 30th August 2010, 5:56

I am worried by the growing trend that penalties are handed out based on the results of an incident, and not the action or inaction behind it…

David L said on 30th August 2010, 7:29

For all those ardent supporters of “Crash Vettel”……..He got what he deserved.

David L said on 30th August 2010, 7:38

Well how about Damon (1). and Damon (2). sort yourselves out on that.

MacLeod said on 30th August 2010, 9:01

Normally Vettel cann’t continue his race after a heavy accident and then it was for after the race disscussion. I don’t think he would be penalised after the race but because he could drive on while Button was out he got a drive through as penaulty which is ofcourse to prevent OTHERS to ‘crash’ into your opponent and hope you can continue the race while your opponent is out. Demolision race anyone?

Accidents happen but to prevent any advantage of it you get a penaulty (except when your out the race end of story)

Not sure but there were times drivers would try to hit their opponents to get them out of the race. I think the eighties were famous of that.

Electrolite said on 30th August 2010, 9:22

I think people hail the 80′s early 90′s too much in this respect, where as Macloed (above) puts it well, people would push other drivers to the edge and drive recklessly to get them out of the race. The obvious example would be Senna, who freely admitted to being a competitor to this extent. Surely it is not better now, where situations like this are acted upon and we stop comparing every rule now to being as worse as it once was through rose tinted spectacles?

If Vettel had not got anything I think the reaction would have been a lot worse to the fact he didn’t get a penalty. The decisions in these incidents will always be criticised or disagreed with by someone, but that’s F1.

Forr3st said on 30th August 2010, 10:37

What I have seen from the get-go with Vettel is a lack of foresight and racecraft that may end his racing career in F1. (He will probably end up as a test driver because hes very quick)Because there is a limit to how many broken cars and spoilt opportunities a team is willing to put up with no matter how quick they are. When an incident or accident does happen he never really takes responsibility for it because hes from the playstation generation where everyone else is to blame and should make way for him.
I find it unfathomable where he thinks he can pop up inside or outside someone, slam the door on them and expects them to be able to avoid him, hes unpredictable and dangerous and its getting to the stage where his driving standards should be looked at before something more serious happens.

David L said on 30th August 2010, 10:38

Electrolite & MacLeod………..yes, you should ask Schumacher about that, he had a particular target called Hill ?

- Electrolite said on 31st August 2010, 16:44
  
  Yes, another good example.
  
David L said on 30th August 2010, 10:43

Forr3st………don’t hold your breath mate, Vettel is still the ‘Blue eyed boy’ at Red Bull.

Phil T said on 30th August 2010, 10:47

Vettel should be a test driver at best. He is not a racing driver, as when he needs to overtake someone he invariably just crashes into them. I don`t think he has the brain capacity required to do what top F1 drivers do. And there is too much talk of “racing incidents”. When it is just one driver taking another driver out of the race through wreckless stupidity, they should be penalised heavily. If Button had taken Vettel out there would be uproar, Bernie, Helmut, Dietrich would all be up in arms.

David L said on 30th August 2010, 10:52

For those who critise Mansell for not Black Flagging Vettel.
Mansell said that they did consider it , but did not have time to watch all the replays and then discuss it amongst the stewards, so they did the quickest thing thay could …….Drive through, fair enough i think.

David L said on 30th August 2010, 11:01

Forr3st………C’mon mate ! You are comparing chalk with cheese here. Webber is a racing driver with experience and a brain which he uses. Vettel is just a kid with a toy who is spoilt, daddy’s (Helmut)favourite and appears to have no brain at all when close racing.
Yes he’s good when out in front and alone, but put other cars around him and LOOKOUT !

bwells said on 1st September 2010, 4:00

It was a stupid move by Vettel for sure but let’s not make it into a “he can’t drive” issue… I seen video today of the crash and for the first time I seen the reaction of his front wing as he passed behind Button… I think the flexible front wing might have had something to do with him losing control..
There’s a site that show’s both his and Webber’s crash and in both cases the front wing was wobbling badly… I’m sure that would cause a loss of downforce…

http://f1enigma.wordpress.com/2010/08/31/%CE%AC%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%BF-%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%B1-video-%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%BA%CE%AC%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%B9-%CF%83%CE%AE%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B1-%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD-%CE%B3%CF%8D%CF%81%CE%BF-%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85/

- bwells said on 1st September 2010, 4:02
  
  The link looks crazy but it does work… :)