There’s no love lost between Daniil Kvyat and Sebastian Vettel, as the Red Bull driver takes Vettel out of the Russian Grand Prix on lap one. The incident occurred only a few corners into the race, following double contact between the pair. Kvyat was found to be at fault and handed a penalty.
At the start of the race, Sebastian Vettel made a quick start off of the line. Things were clean in the gentle turn one, but things fell apart in turn two. Entering the corner, Kvyat came barreling up the inside and just couldn’t avoid ramming into the rear of the Ferrari, despite under-rotating his tyres under braking. This sent Vettel sliding into the other Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo, making minor contact with the Australian.
But the drama didn’t stop there. In the sweeping turn around the Sochi Medals Plaza, Vettel was travelling slightly slower than the rest of the cars in order to see if his Ferrari had damage. Kvyat then finished off Vettel, as he made heavy impact into the rear of the Ferrari. Vettel spun and his car went into the outer barrier, destroying the front wing and taking off the front right wheel of the Ferrari. Kvyat escaped the incident and was able to continue the race.
Understandably, the race stewards investigated the incident and found Kvyat responsible for the accident. He was handed a ten-second stop and go penalty, the most severe penalty that the FIA can apply, which would require Kvyat to enter the pit lane and sit in the pit box for ten seconds. There will likely also be some words said in the Red Bull debriefing and potentially some words said between the Russian and Vettel. Vettel has also spoken to Christian Horner, the Red Bull Team Principal, paying him a visit on the pit wall when he returned to the pits from his accident. Vettel expressed his anger over Kvyat in Russia on his team radio, using many words not suitable for small children.
There won’t be any love lost between Kvyat and Vettel, as the Ferrari driver still blames Kvyat for his first lap accident with his teammate in China. Of course, this accident was one of the factors that led to the Russia accident, as the team took a grid penalty for changing the gearbox which was believed to have been damaged in the contact in China.
Weekend Summary: 2016 Russian Grand Prix
Nightmare For Ferrari In China
