HRT driver Narain Karthikeyan has hit back at Sebastian Vettel following their collision in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Indian driver hits out at "shameful" comments from World Champion
HRT driver Narain Karthikeyan has hit back at Sebastian Vettel following their collision in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The pair clashed on lap 47 when Vettel made contact with Karthikeyan's front wing whilst lapping the HRT, leaving the World Champion with a puncture in his left rear tyre.
After the race Vettel made everyone aware who he thought was at fault when he said that "just like on the normal roads you have some idiots driving around, it seems like there is also one driving here".
But Karthikeyan has taken exception to the criticism, believing Vettel's comments were not befitting of a driver of his standing.
"For a World Champion to say things like that is really shameful," the Indian driver told the
Hindustan Times.
"It is really unprofessional. For a driver who has achieved so much to take out his frustrations on me just because he is having a difficult year is really sad. One does not expect a professional sportsman to be such a cry baby."
The Sepang stewards investigated the incident and ultimately sided with Vettel, giving Karthikeyan a 20-second penalty to add on to the end of this race time for causing an avoidable collision.
The HRT man was disappointed with the decision and felt he was not given the opportunity to put his point across.
He added: "They didn't care about what I had to say because Mr Vettel told them God knows what when he went and talked to them."
Although some paddock observers felt that Vettel had moved back across the HRT too soon in Sunday's incident, the stewards in Malaysia - which included former race winner Johnny Herbert - judged Karthikeyan had contravened Article 16.1 of the sporting regulations, describing the reason for the decision as "self-explanatory".
