“It’s pretty simple. I’m the guy who knows Lewis best in the whole of the racing industry, so I think I’m in the best position to judge it and for sure he didn’t do that one on purpose, definitely,” said reigning F1 champion Nico Rosberg when asked about the controversial collision between former Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
Rosberg appeared Sunday at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Sunday and was interviewed by Vettel’s former Red Bull teammate Mark Webber.
When asked who was to blame for the fender-bender, Rosberg said assuringly, “It’s very easy. Sebastian.”
Opinion over the matter has been divided. The FIA is set to review the incident on Monday to see if further sanctions are to be given.
Meanwhile, former F1 driver Robert Kubica, who was also at Goodwood on Sunday, holds that Vettel snapped in Baku.
“My personal opinion is that Seb overreacted, but it can happen. Of course, he was not happy with it after the race and maybe it’s difficult to admit it, but he is intelligent enough to realize he went a bit too far.
The Polish driver also emphasized the need to keep one’s cool during a race.
“That’s part of racing and when the battle gets spiced up it’s always important to keep your nerves and be concentrated, ambitious and keep everything under control.”
On another note, Vettel got away with not getting disqualified from Baku, according to Renault driver Jolyon Palmer.
The Brit said, “I think Seb was pretty hot-headed and when I was in GP2 Jonny Cecotto deliberately drove into someone and he got banned from the whole weekend, and that’s in GP2.”
He added, “So I think Seb is a little bit lucky not to be disqualified. Deliberately driving into someone, I don’t think you can be doing that, especially if you are fighting for the championship and you are an example.”
The FIA is expected to announce the result of its investigation prior to the Austrian Grand Prix. However, further penalties are not likely to be handed out until the FIA’s International Tribunal has heard the case.
