Vettel faces investigation over "crazy" Malaysian GP crash

Vettel dived down the inside of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the fight for third spot, but left his braking slightly late and tagged the right rear of second placed Rosberg.

The impact pitched Rosberg in to a spin, and broke Vettel’s left front suspension – forcing him out of the race.

The FIA announced that Vettel’s driving will be looked into after the Malaysian GP finishes – with the prospect of a penalty if he is found to have caused the accident.

Verstappen had no doubts about who was to blame for the incident, as he hit out at his German rival.

“Sebastian is crazy,” said Verstappen over his team radio. “He ******* smashed into Rosberg like an idiot.”

Vettel: Racing incident

Vettel insisted he had not gone into the first corner with too much speed – and it was just unfortunate that Rosberg came across the front of him and Verstappen.

“If anything I was braking the same point as him [Verstappen],” explained Vettel. “I was going side-by-side, he was squeezing me down to the inside. It’s racing.

“I think both of us will make the corner, not a problem. Obviously Nico decided to take a different line, he’s ahead, he’s got nothing to do with it and doesn’t have to bother what people are doing behind.

“[But] I think there are two things that are wrong. First that Nico, without any blame, gets turned around. And second that I’m standing here and the race is still going on.”

When asked about the nature of Verstappen’s defensive moves down in to Turn 1, Vettel said: “Racing him is moving around, everybody knows by now.

“[If] you get squeezed to the inside your angle doesn’t get any better for Turn 1, and then it was, I don’t know the word, it was quite bad, the angle.

“I was trying to do everything to turn and get the corner, I do get the corner no problem, I’m not braking too late. Nico obviously tries to cut back, I guess to fight Lewis. At that point we made contact.”