The FIA is considering a change to the way Formula 1 drivers with engine penalties line up on the grid in order to avoid the repeat of the events of Russian Grand Prix qualifying.

At the moment drivers who change enough power unit elements to earn a back of the grid penalty start the race in the order that those elements were first used, which is based on who left the pitlane first in FP1.

That means these drivers don't have any incentive to run in qualifying, other than making a token effort in Q1 for the sake of fans and sponsors.

In Sochi three of the five penalised drivers were quick enough to progress to Q2, but none of them ran in that session, because there was no point in wasting tyres or engine mileage.

As a direct result of that, Renault also chose not to run its drivers in Q2 in Russia, because they would be guaranteed to start 11th and 12th, with a free choice of tyres.

The FIA is considering a change that will see the grid order of penalised drivers determined by qualifying time, thus encouraging them to run more.

The change would also put a stop to the bizarre sight of penalised drivers lining up early at the pit exit at the start of FP1 purely to claim their grid positions.

"I don't think anyone could have foreseen what happened here," said FIA race director Charlie Whiting in Sochi.

"I think there is another way, I've been talking about it to a few teams here.

"I think what we could do based on this weekend is instead of having cars line up at the pit exit in a rather farcical way, and that sort of thing will only ever get worse, if you have five drivers you will arrange them at the back in the order in which they qualified.

"I think that would provide some incentive for drivers to actually go and qualify, and try to qualify as high as they could at least.

"At least they would be arranged in 16th to 20th positions in the order that they qualified, rather than the order that they left the pitlane. That's one suggestion that's going to be discussed."

Asked about the chances of the change being voted through, Whiting said: "I would have thought quite high. I like to think that's a sensible solution.

"There may be some drawbacks that we haven't thought of yet, but it's a relatively new idea."

Formula One might have dropped the Malaysian Grand Prix from its calendar after last season, but its host track wasn’t done with F1 just yet. The track still had an insurance claim from the Haas F1 team to deal with, after a drain cover came loose and sent Romain Grosjean spiraling toward a wall last year.

Motorsport.com reports that nearly a year later, the insurance claim between Haas and Sepang International Circuit is settled. The team “received the money it requested” but that amount isn’t known, according to Motorsport.com:

The claim started with the crash, which happened during a Friday practice at Sepang last October when Grosjean’s rear tire exploded going into a turn and sent him into a wall. Footage showed the drain cover that caused the crash to be on the edge of the racing surface, and F1’s governing body, the FIA, later said it thought a “welding failure” made the cover loose. Officials called off the rest of that practice to check other drain covers before the next session.

Estimates for the damage to the car were between $660,000 and $1 million, and you better believe Haas treated this like a fender bender on Main Street. It’s easy to chalk it up to “What’s $700,000 to an F1 team?” from the outside looking in, but Steiner said last year the he, understandably, wasn’t happy getting a big bill because of a poor welding job. The team said a few days after the race that it wanted compensation for the wreck, and filed an insurance claim.

It took nearly a year to get that claim settled, but Steiner said the team wasn’t really surprised. “It’s a strange case,” Motorsport.com quoted him as saying:

Say that last part louder for the people having a fender bender on Main Street, Guenther. It’s always so easy to forget in the moment.

FIA sensor causes Ferrari power drop

Ferrari may have lost its power advantage after the FIA further clamped down on the questionable performance of its power unit.

Earlier in 2018, the governing body installed a sensor in the energy recovery systems of the Maranello team's car, following suspicious about legality.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that a second sensor has now been added, resulting in a clear drop in performance in the last two races.

"We can see it clearly in our GPS data," admitted Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul.

It means Mercedes has pulled back ahead of Ferrari, even though Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell insists that the red car "still has plenty of power".

When asked about Ferrari's mysterious power drop in Singapore and Russia, 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg told Sport1: "I don't think we can judge that.

"Let's wait for the next races. If it's still the case, then we can say 'Ok something has happened'. But it's too early for that," he added.

Sergio Perez believes Suzuka should have a DRS zone on the back straight that forces Formula 1 drivers to risk taking the famous 130R corner with the rear wing open.

The FIA has been experimenting with additional or longer zones this year for the drag-reduction system in a bid to improve overtaking.

However, it opted not to extend the start-finish DRS zone because of the aggressive entry to the first corner, and considered DRS inappropriate for the high-speed, left-hand 130R after drivers’ complaints at Silverstone.

Drivers could use DRS through Silverstone’s flat-out first corner, but Racing Point Force India driver Perez said: “Turn 1 at Silverstone is a lot harder than 130R.

“If you want to have a lift and then come back to DRS, it is really down to you.

“There will be drivers that take more risks than others but you leave it down to the driver and I think we are good enough to do that.

Perez and Sauber driver Charles Leclerc expect the matter to be raised in Friday’s drivers’ briefing.

Leclerc said a second DRS zone would “probably have made sense”, and Williams driver Lance Stroll and Perez’s teammate Esteban Ocon joined the chorus of drivers in favour of the addition.

Stroll said whether or not 130R would be flat is “probably not the reason we should debate if it is a DRS zone or not on the back straight”.

“I think it can only help overtaking,” said Stroll. “It is already a track where due to the nature of the track it is very difficult to follow in the high speed corners.”

Ocon agreed it would be “even harder than Silverstone Turn 1”, and added: “It could only help overtaking into the last chicane

“In the race it would probably not be flat, especially following other cars, but in qualifying it could be an interesting challenge.”

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel is not a fan of DRS and earlier this year compared the addition of a third zone in Austria to playing Mario Kart.

He reiterated that reference at Suzuka, saying: “Now we are in Japan, I think [about Mario Kart].

“It would be more fun to throw bananas out of the cockpit, so maybe this would be better idea than to have DRS.

“I don’t like it, I think it is artificial, we should find a different way to make the cars follow each other closer and not rely on DRS.”

Haas driver Romain Grosjean agreed that DRS is not a perfect solution, but conceded it might be necessary.

“In general I think DRS is not great, but on the other hand it’s the only way to get overtaking at the minute,” said Grosjean, who also pointed out that it could “open up a gap” between the midfield and bigger teams.

“Like Red Bull, they’ve got the downforce to keep it open at 130R,” Grosjean added.

“We probably couldn’t have done that, and then the delta is even bigger than it already is.”

Max Verstappen agreed 130R with DRS would be "possible" for Red Bull, adding: "I would do the first lap straight away with DRS open."

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas says he has been told he could be asked again to cede position to Lewis Hamilton until the drivers' championship is decided.

The Finn was asked to move over for his team-mate to win last weekend's Russian Grand Prix, which took Hamilton closer towards a fifth world title.

Bottas said Mercedes had made it clear they may ask him to do it again, adding: "And it's what I expect."

He said any decision would be made on a "case-by-case basis".

Bottas added: "It depends on the situation. Last weekend, if Lewis did not have the blisters on his tyres, maybe I would have been allowed to win."

Mercedes made the call to ask Bottas to let Hamilton by because the Briton had blistered tyres having attacked and overtaken title rival Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari.

Vettel had got ahead because Mercedes had erroneously delayed Hamilton's pit stop by a lap, allowing the Ferrari to make up enough time to be ahead when Hamilton rejoined.

Mercedes wanted Bottas between Hamilton and Vettel, who was running close behind the Mercedes drivers, to make it easier to protect the Briton's damaged tyres.

Hamilton's victory gave him a 50-point advantage in the championship, with a maximum of 125 points still available over the remaining five races, starting in Japan this weekend.

Hamilton is conflicted on the subject of team orders, saying he could see both sides of the argument on a situation that has caused controversy.

"I'm split. On one side, I feel one way about it and on another, I feel differently," he said.

"It's a team sport. I remember watching it with Michael (Schumacher) and Rubens (Barrichello)," he added, a reference to the infamous 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, when Barrichello moved over to hand victory to his Ferrari team-mate on the run to the chequered flag, despite it being only the sixth race of the year and the German already having won four of the first five races.

"Like everyone, you naturally felt bad for Rubens because he did a great job and deserved the win. But then as a racer I know what it is to be working towards a championship and while for the short term the win would be nice for Rubens, on the long term he had no chance of winning the championship so they worked as a team to get the best result for Michael.

"This is the most unusual sport in that you have two championships. So unlike in football or other sports, everyone works towards one goal, there are two goals here and you are conflicted trying to achieve those two goals because only one driver can win and yet there are two drivers, and there is a team championship you want to win.

"It's a difficult dynamic because the team works together to win the championship but they also want to win the drivers' championship so they are conflicted because they don't want to favour either driver. They kind of want both drivers to win but it's impossible so you are always at a loss."

Bottas said: "I know what I have to do and I am a team player. As a team, it was the best result we could hope for. I would do it again. It doesn't mean I am not a racer.

"I just have to accept it because of what happened earlier in the season. I can't fight any more for the world championship and we need to play as a team if we really want to win the title. That's how it is.

"I am here to get pole and try to win the race but for sure I will be supportive. The team might not want to sacrifice my race as well. The team will always do the best for both championships."

Vettel is still hoping he can revive his title campaign.

"Within a week we cannot do too many things differently so we hope the track suits us better, and we have a better weekend than in Russia," the German said.

"We know one DNF or mistake [for Hamilton] and it could disappear quickly. You've just got to accept it and move forward. How I understand it is he has to do the best job he can and I've got to win.

"You attack every weekend. The track is different, the circumstances are different. I love this track, it is my favourite in the world, so I better enjoy it rather than count things that are possibly against me."

Charles Leclerc says his first Japanese Grand Prix will be "very difficult" because of the Formula 1 crash that led to the death of his friend Jules Bianchi.

Bianchi crashed into a recovery vehicle during the rain-hit 2014 Japanese GP and passed away nine months later from the injuries he suffered.

Leclerc, who was mentored by Bianchi as a youngster, visited the scene of the crash for the first time on Wednesday.

"It's obviously a very difficult weekend," said Leclerc. Jules has helped me massively to arrive here, more than only on the racing side. He was a big like part of the family.

"I never came to Japan before, the track walk this morning was quite emotional.

"But yeah, on the other hand I really need to focus on this weekend to try to do the best job possible anyway. Even if it's a difficult weekend."

Bianchi's death in 2015 was followed two years later by Leclerc's father Herve passing away.

Leclerc paid tribute to his father with a replica of the ex-Formula 3 racer's crash helmet design in Monaco.

He is planning a split tribute next season to honour both Herve and Bianchi, which he hopes he can run in his home race and in Japan.

"I'm definitely thinking about something for next year, about a helmet, but you know there is this rule where you can only run one special helmet," said Leclerc.

"This year I did it for my father, next year I have an idea of doing something, a helmet split on both sides – one for Jules, one for my father.

"For this year I will have nothing more special than trying to make him remembered as much as I can to the public."

Sebastian Vettel wants to speak to Max Verstappen in private, rather than get involved in a public war of words, about his defensive driving in Formula 1.

The Ferrari driver felt that his Red Bull rival had been too aggressive in trying to hold on to third place in the Japanese Grand Prix as he tried a move down the inside at Spoon Curve on lap nine.

With Verstappen having also clashed with Kimi Raikkonen on the opening lap of the race, Vettel believes that a conversation with the Dutchman is needed.

"He is quick, but it doesn't help also the way he came back onto the track with Kimi," said Vettel, when asked about Verstappen's attitude to racing rivals.

"I don't want this to end up as 'Seb says this, Max says this'. I will talk about it with him when it is the right time, so this way I would prefer.

"But you ask me these questions so I give you my answer."

Vettel remains adamant that his move at Spoon Curve was not overly ambitious, and dismisses suggestions he should have waited for a better moment knowing that Verstappen already had a five-second penalty for the Raikkonen incident.

"What do you think about how many times you can afford to wait?" he told reporters. "Obviously I am racing not just him. I am racing also the guys in front ideally.

"His battery was derating. I saw the light flashing, I saved up my battery on the way up through the Esses trying to stay close, and I had a good exit from the hairpin. I had a big tow through Turn 12, and was side-by-side when we hit the brakes and turn in.

"I had similar encounters with others and we managed to make it through the corner.

"It is not the prime overtaking spot, but if you are side-by-side then I think it is fair in that scenario and that occasion. I did my best to try to avoid contact but if he kept closing then where am I supposed to go?"

Vettel thinks that Verstappen had enough opportunity to avoid the accident, and reckons the Dutchman even came off the brakes to try to make things more difficult.

"The problem was that as soon as he saw I was side-by-side, he opened the brakes, and tried to push," he said. "But I think that is wrong. I don't think he makes the corner either.

"He just looks at me, but he should keep the overview of the track and we should both try to make the corner in the first place, and then work out who is inside/outside."

Charles Leclerc says he could not understand why Formula 1 rival Kevin Magnussen was not penalised for his "dangerous" move in their fight during the Japanese Grand Prix.

Magnussen's Haas was read-ended by the Sauber of Leclerc after the Dane suddenly moved to the right on the main straight when the Monegasque was attempting to pass at the start of the race.

The incident resulted in a puncture for Magnussen, who later retired with a damaged car.

The race stewards investigated the incident but concluded no driver was predominantly to blame and therefore imposed no penalty.

Leclerc, who called Magnussen "stupid" on the radio, said he could not understand the decision.

"For me it's clear from the cockpit, I have to watch back the images, but one or two years ago there was a very similar situation with Kimi and Max Verstappen at Spa, when Max was looking in the mirrors and then as soon as Kimi moved Max moved," Leclerc told Motorsport.com.

"And I think we all agreed at that time that it was a dangerous manoeuvre.

"I don't understand why he hasn't been penalised today. I need to understand because if that's possible then I'll do that next time and I will also expect a driver to do that.

"For me it's dangerous at this type of speed."

Leclerc said it was important for the stewards to act on Magnussen, who has been involved in several incidents this year, to make sure they understand what is allowed on track.

"I've only done one year in Formula 1 and for sure the driver which I had the most problems with is definitely Kevin.

"And I'm not the only one as I've obviously spoken with other drivers so I don't really understand why sometimes we aren't a bit more harsh with drivers like this because otherwise we are going to continue like this.

"If we can race like this, then I will also race like this but for me it's not the right way."

Sauber boss Fred Vasseur has backed his driver Charles Leclerc and says Kevin Magnussen has been involved "in all the big crashes" during the 2018 Formula 1 season.

Leclerc hit the rear of Magnussen's Haas on the approach to the first corner at Suzuka when both moved to the right on the second lap of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Both were able to continue, although Magnussen had a rear puncture and Leclerc would later have his Sauber car's nose changed.

The FIA stewards took the view that both drivers had moved right at the same time, and thus deemed it was a racing incident.

Vasseur agreed with his driver that Magnussen's move had been dangerous and called on the FIA to act on the Dane before there is a big accident.

"From my point of view it was quite obvious, but there was no further action," Vasseur told Motorsport.com.

"I was a bit surprised. He's involved in all the big crashes throughout the season, if you have a look. I'm not the referee, it's the FIA. They have to take decisions or not.

"The move was f****** dangerous, he's always moving late, and one day we'll have a huge crash.

"When you are at 320kph, it's more than dangerous."

Vasseur was confident that Leclerc, who eventually retired as a result of a car failure, would have had a strong result.

"I think we had a good first part of the race, the pace was there," said Vassuer. "We had to stop under the safety car to change the nosebox, and we tried to take another strategy, but it was done.

"It's a shame because I think the pace was good again.

"It was his first time in Suzuka, and for sure it's not an easy one. He was P6 in Q1, but we just have to be able to put everything together. It's so tight between P7 and P17, a small mistake and you're at the back."

Vasseur had no issue with the collision between Marcus Ericsson and teammate Leclerc at the chicane in the safety car restart, which damaged both cars.

"Everybody braked very, very late and hard under the safety car."

Plans to put Vietnam on the Formula 1 calendar in 2020 are set to be confirmed before the end of the current season, with sources indicating that a deal has now been reached.

The South-East Asian country has long been rumoured to be on the radar of F1’s owners Liberty Media, with a venue 12 kilometres west of Hanoi having been singled out as a location for the track

Talks have advanced quickly behind the scenes, however, and sources at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix insisted that an agreement was now in place for the event to go ahead in 2020.

An official announcement about the race, which will be the first new addition to the calendar by Liberty, is likely to come next month.

F1 race director Charlie Whiting visited the Hanoi location ahead of the Japanese GP, and said he had no doubts that the facility would be ready.

“There is no actual progress at building the track, but the site has been identified,” he said.

“It is in the advanced stages of design and I think, as far as I am aware, they are aiming for a 2020 Grand Prix. That shouldn’t be a problem based on previous experience.”

Whiting confirmed that the circuit would partly be on current roads, but would also feature a new section being built specifically for the race.

“It is mainly on the streets, but there is a section that is not yet built,” he explained. “That is an open site where the pit buildings are going to be built.

“Part of the track will be built there, which doesn’t exist at the moment. But it will become a road after that.”

Honda had to abort a planned change to help its upgraded Formula 1 engine after being "surprised" by an FIA instruction before the start of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Toro Rosso's engine partner wanted to make a change on Pierre Gasly's car after qualifying, during parc ferme conditions, to address the oscillations that are still occurring when shifting up through the gears with its updated engine.

Ahead of the grand prix, the FIA confirmed that Honda had changed the post shift ignition retard settings on the Toro Rosso.

Its written request to do so was approved by the FIA's technical delegate, Jo Bauer.

Honda contests that it was then informed on the grid that it needed to change back, but does not know why.

It is understood that Honda is considered to have not made the change specifically as it was requested, so was told to revert to the previous settings.

Official comment from the FIA is expected shortly but was not available at the time of writing.

Gasly had to alter the timing of his upshifts during the grand prix, in which he finished outside of the points in 11th after starting seventh.

Honda says the change did not limit the engine's performance in the race but wants more information on why the FIA changed its original decision.

"We submitted the parc ferme change request to the FIA," said Honda F1 technical director Toyoharu Tanabe.

"They approved it, that's why they issued the document.

"I need to find out exactly why they changed their decision; what was done by someone.

"We were surprised, because they said yes. Suddenly, on the grid, they said no.

"We need to respect the FIA's decision, so we didn't use it."

Tanabe said it was "hard to tell if they are big or small" changes but the fact the FIA initially said yes showed Honda was not trying to introduce a major performance differentiator.

The Toro Rosso drivers still reported better driveability, after the upgrade was introduced in practice last week in Russia but benched for the race weekend so Honda could work on some improvements.

Honda's upgrade played a key role in Brendon Hartley and Gasly qualifying sixth and seventh for its home race, even though it failed to score points due to a poor start and tyre problems for the two drivers respectively.

"From the performance point of view, we are happy," said Tanabe.

"The post-shift oscillations, maybe some torque delivery at low-RPM, we will assess the data from here and can improve for the next race."

​​​​​​If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.”

It was perhaps fitting that a quote from Ayrton Senna, a driver with whom the Suzuka circuit is so synonymous, came ringing back during Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Alas, it was not the result of a stunning or inexplicable overtake the Brazilian would have been proud of. Instead, it was because of a move that appears to have all but settled the fight for the Formula 1 drivers’ championship in 2018.

On Lap 8 of the race, Sebastian Vettel tried to overtake Max Verstappen on entry to Spoon, diving up the inside of the Red Bull driver. The two cars touched, with Vettel being sent into a spin that caused him to drop all the way down to 19th. His title hopes which were already hanging by a thread arriving in Japan had entered freefall.

Vettel fought his way back up the field to finish sixth, but with title rival Lewis Hamilton going lights-to-flag for his sixth win in seven races and extending his points lead to 67 with 100 still available this year, it proved to be the decision that sounded the death knell for his championship aspirations in 2018.

Views on Vettel’s decision to try the overtake at Spoon were soon circulating social media from fans and pundits alike. Had he caused the crash by being too bold? Or had Verstappen turned in on him? The stewards had a look at the incident, but deemed neither driver to be wholly or predominantly responsible for the clash, meaning there was no further action.

A downcast Vettel took to team radio after the race: “Not much to say. If I don't go for that gap and the gap is there, I might as well stay at home. Grazie ragazzi.”

He’s correct. There was a gap. He went for it. It didn’t work. And while hindsight obviously says it was the wrong call, at the time, Vettel was totally right to go for it and try to make the pass.

“I went for the gap that was there, and as soon as Max saw that I was side-by-side, he tried everything to squeeze me, but didn’t give me any room,” Vettel said, explaining his side of the incident.

“So, then it was then inevitable to make contact.”

Ferrari’s qualifying blunder on Saturday left Vettel eighth on the grid, but he was already up to fourth by the end of the first lap after a superb start. After picking off the Toro Rossos early, he showed he was planning to use Spoon as an overtaking point early, sweeping around the outside of Romain Grosjean there on the opening lap. He then passed Kimi Raikkonen in the sister Ferrari after the Finn was pushed off-track by Verstappen, with the Safety Car then bunching the cars following Kevin Magnussen’s puncture.

Verstappen was swiftly hit with a five-second time penalty for the incident with Raikkonen, meaning Vettel would surely get the jump when the Dutchman served it at his pit stop. So when the collision happened, the natural question was why the rush? Why didn’t Vettel just bide his time and either gain the position at the stops or, given the added grunt of the Ferrari engine compared to the Renault in the back of his rival’s Red Bull, make an attempt on the run from the exit of Spoon, through 130R and into the chicane?

“How many times you can afford to wait?” Vettel asked rhetorically. “Obviously, I am racing not just him. I’m racing also the guys in front ideally.

“His battery was derating, I saw the light flashing. I saved up my battery on the way up through the Esses, trying to stay close, had a good exit from the hairpin and had a big tow through Turn 12 and was side by side when we hit the brakes and turned in.

“I had similar encounters with others and we managed to make it through the corner. Obviously, not the prime overtaking spot, but if you’re side-by-side then I think that it’s fair. I did my best to try and avoid contact. But he kept closing - then where am I supposed to go?”

The giveaway line in Vettel’s mentality is “I’m racing also the guys in front ideally”. He wasn’t racing to beat Verstappen at Suzuka. After all, that would do very little good for his championship hopes. He knew he had to beat the Mercedes drivers on Sunday - and that is why he was willing to give it everything in his charge to do so.

Even just a few laps behind Verstappen would have been a huge blow for Vettel’s hopes of winning at Suzuka. The Mercedes drivers were running in formation, Hamilton ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, and thanks to the Safety Car, both were within realistic reach. Regardless of the pace difference between Mercedes and Ferrari, he could still have been in range to strike (case in point: how close Verstappen got to Bottas).

“I think I had quite a good feeling on the opening lap and the car was working well and then I was faster than Max, but it was difficult,” Vettel said.

“I think the Safety Car helped me to get close and that’s why there was a chance. It’s very difficult to pass around here and to follow up the hill with the fast corners that we have. I could play with the car and make the tyres last reasonably well, but then of course we never know because I had damage and was in traffic and so on. I was happy from my point of view with what I had in the race.”

Isn’t this gutsy ‘go-for-the-pass’ attitude what we crave from our racers? That if there’s a chance to make a pass, particularly with a championship on the line, they go for it instead of just holding back? The move was a bit desperate, yes - but Vettel had to be. The championship was getting away from him, and he needed to clot the points loss to Hamilton sooner rather than later.


But much as he did 12 months ago, Vettel will be leaving Suzuka on Sunday night knowing his hopes of an elusive fifth title and the poignant first in Ferrari colours he so craves are all but over for another year. In seven races, he’s gone from an eight-point lead to a 67-point deficit.

At least Vettel can say he gave it a go, though. He didn’t throw in the towel or lay down accepting that Mercedes was just the faster car, and that resistance was futile. He went for the gap.

The coronation of King Lewis V will now be in the final planning stages, with a Mercedes one-two in Austin in two weeks being enough to seal the crown. For Vettel and Ferrari, 2018 will go down as another missed opportunity. But to say his move on Verstappen at Spoon was the moment the title was lost is unfair. If anything, it was where he proved he’s still got the fight left in him.

Kimi Raikkonen says Max Verstappen is not the kind of driver who would deliberately drive a rival off track, despite their clash at the Japanese Grand Prix

Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty at Suzuka when he was deemed to have rejoined the track in an unsafe manner after he missed the chicane on the opening lap.

As he came back on the circuit, he ran wide and forced Raikkonen off the circuit, damaging the Finn's car.

While Sebastian Vettel has spoken out about the aggression of Verstappen's defensive moves after his incident later in the race, Raikkonen is more open-minded about Verstappen's driving.

"In the situation where I was with him, it is a bid hard to say because I know sometimes when you come back over the kerbs it is impossible to turn the car when you bounce over them," he said.

"I don't know if that was the case.

"I think if we were both on the circuit next to each other, I don't think he would squeeze because we all know what will happen from that.

"But it was obviously a bit of an odd situation where we ended up. I don't think he purposefully tried to hit anybody, but this is what happened."

Raikkonen did not seem too angry about what Verstappen did at the chicane, although is clear that he would have liked to have been given a bit more room.

"I tried to go outside and leave as much as I could," added the Finn. "But he obviously came kind of off the track over the grass kerb part.

"Maybe he could not turn more, and maybe he just ended up there. In an ideal world, he should have left a bit more. But I don't know…"