It was all your fault Seb, says Rosberg
FORMER world champion Nico Rosberg has accused Sebastian Vettel of ‘complaining, complaining’ and ‘blaming other people’ for his own errors in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Vettel’s fellow German voiced the criticism yesterday as Ferrari confirmed they would appeal against the controversial fivesecond penalty that cost their driver victory.
Ferrari’s challenge came despite the emergence of video evidence that appeared to undermine their defence.
Vettel was punished for returning to the track unsafely after running on to the grass 48 laps into the race. The move caused Lewis Hamilton, who ended up winning after the time adjustment was made, to slow down to avoid being squeezed into the wall.
Although most of the paddock sympathy lay with Vettel immediately afterwards, the CCTV footage, seen by Sportsmail, shows the German steering to the right, and towards Hamilton, after first gaining control of his car.
This seems to contradict Vettel’s claim that he was little more than a helpless passenger in the Ferrari after going off at turn three. The stewards watched the video, which was not broadcast on the international television feed, before coming to their judgment.
The footage also showed Vettel apparently looking in his mirrors as he drifted right, indicating that he knew where Hamilton was.
Rosberg, champion in 2016, said: ‘I would like to say how amazing Sebastian is, as I did after qualifying (when he took pole), but I can’t.
‘Afterwards instead of complaining (briefly) on the radio, he keeps on complaining, complaining rather than focusing on the damn driving and getting those five seconds out. He was 3.3 seconds ahead at one point (prior to the incident). Damn. Focus. Nail those laps. You still have the chance to win this thing.
‘So that was a weakness. He has such strong self- belief, always thinks he is right. He always wants to blame other people and loses form. So that’s not great.
‘Also, after the race, all the gestures and disrespectful comments, calling the stewards blind men and all that, is unnecessary, even if it makes awesome TV. He should see he’s the one who made the mistake.’
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rosberg added: ‘It’s the same as usual when Lewis and Vettel are together. Lewis put the pressure on and Vettel just made one of those mistakes.
‘It’s very clear that it was an unsafe return to the track. You have to return safely, so a penalty is deserved. The rule is there and that is it. Pretty simple.’