F1 | Russian GP | Vettel states that his collision with Stroll was a misunderstanding
Sebastian Vettel believes that his collision with Lance Stroll during the Russian Grand Prix was a misunderstanding, as both Vettel and Stroll missed out on points in Sochi.
Sebastian Vettel has called the incident between himself and Lance Stroll at the Russian Grand Prix a misunderstanding after both drivers made contact.
As track conditions became more slippery in the latter stages of the race, Vettel closed in on Stroll for ninth as the Canadian struggled for temperature in his hard tyres, which were beginning to fall apart in the wet conditions.
But as both drivers approached Turn 10, Stroll moved over to the left to cover Vettel off, causing the pair to make contact, with the four-time World champion narrowly avoiding suspension damage in the process.
When asked about the incident after the race, Vettel said it was a misunderstanding between the pair, believing that Stroll didn't see him as he attempted to overtake.
“I guess it was a misunderstanding. I am not sure, I don't think he saw me, or he didn't expect me either, fortunately, nothing happened but unfortunately, we were both out of the points at the end. "
Stroll later confirmed that he didn't see Vettel when the German tried to pass him.
“I couldn't see him. To be honest, I was just sliding around and trying to stay on track; it was really tricky. We (are) both kind of got (we) away with it so it was okay. "
Despite Stroll running as high as fourth during the race's opening stages, Aston Martin's race fell apart as the rain started to fall, with Vettel believing that the team made the wrong decision to stay out as conditions deteriorated.
“In the end, we were gambling on the wrong option to stay out with the dries. We were not the only ones but it hurt us in the end. Initially, the rain was coming but it wasn't coming a lot, so it looked like we were doing the right thing."
“But when the rain became a lot more intense and there was spray and standing water then obviously, there was no chance to stay on track or to stay with the slicks. It was very slippery, you lose tire temperature and you have no profile to get rid of the water so I was very slow, we had a very slow lap the whole lap, not just a couple of corners which was very costly. "
