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Raikkonen defends Verstappen for driving approach

Raikkonen defends Verstappen for driving approach

10-10-2018 16:36
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Bobby Vincent

Kimi Raikkonen has defended Max Verstappen and claimed that he is not the type of driver to deliberately drive someone else off the the track.

The Ferrari driver was talking following the Japanese Grand Prix where himself and Verstappen clashed.

Verstappen was given a five-second penalty on Sunday when the stewards deemed him guilty of re-entering the track in an unsafe manner after missing the chicane on the opening lap.

The Red Bull then clashed with Raikkonen as he entered the circuit, and the Finn was then pushed off the circuit and received some damage on his car.

Sebastian Vettel too clashed with Verstappen at Suzuka, and was very critical of the Dutchman's driving approach, but Vettel's team-mate is certainly more relaxed.

"In the situation where I was with him, it is a bit 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," Raikkonen explained to Motorsport.

"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 he ended up. I don't think he purposefully tried to hit anybody, but this is what happened."

Raikkonen didn't seem angry over the incident, but it was obvious that he would have prefered more room.

"I tried to go outside and leave as much as I could," the departing Ferrari driver added. "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..."