Vettel apologises to Raikkonen for Spa T1 bungle

Sebastian Vettel has revealed he apologised to Kimi Raikkonen for their turn one coming together at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, admitting he should have left more room for his Ferrari team-mate in hindsight.

Vettel, Raikkonen and Max Verstappen each sustained damage after coming together at the notorious La Source hairpin on the opening lap of the Spa race, with Vettel largely considered to be the trigger after sweeping in from a wide angle and squeezing the two cars on his inside.

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Having reviewed the footage Vettel says he did apologise to Raikkonen for the incident, conceding he didn't anticipate Verstappen still being a factor on the inside after a poor start.

"I thought there was just Kimi on the inside but as it turned out there was three cars so the room I gave for Kimi was not for three cars because I thought Verstappen was out of that fight," he said.

"In the end we had three cars with not enough room but from my side it is not clear in the mirrors. Kimi was there and I was slightly ahead but if I did it again I would give more room. It was a pity for all three not to come out of the corner and not have the chance to fight for the podium.

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The second time this season the Ferrari pair have inadvertently come together following a clash in China, Raikkonen says he has shrugged off this latest incident.

"It was unfortunate for the team, not a lot to discuss, Seb said sorry and I said okay, and we go forward. It wasn't ideal for us but that is how it goes sometimes. Next time we will try to give a bit more room but it is gone now."

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