Sebastian Vettel has apologised for ending Jenson Button’s race after running into him at the final chicane.
The Red Bull driver was just 0.2s behind as he pulled out of the McLaren’s toe, before losing the rear and sliding into the side of Button, ending his race on lap 17.
“I’m sorry, obviously it was not my intention to destroy his race or mine,” Vettel said after the race.
“I was close. I was faster than him and I knew it would be close with Robert [Kubica] behind us.
“I attempted to outbrake him on the outside. When I changed from the inside to the outside I lost the car under braking over the bump and crashed into him.
“That meant the end of my race and also the end of his race.”
Vettel was handed a drive-through penalty by the FIA for causing a collision.
His luck continued to go down hill as he suffered a left-rear puncture when Vitantonio Liuzzi’s front-wing sliced his tyre. The German had to complete an entire lap on just three inflated tyres, dropping him to 14th, eventually finishing 15th.
