Vettel: 'I couldn't see Button'

The start of the Japanese Grand Prix was eventful between the leaders. If Jenson Button (McLaren) started on the dirty side of the track, the Briton still got a better start than the poleman Sebastian Vettel and tried to overtake him on the right before entering the first turn. But the pilot Red Bull moved to the same side, forcing the 2009 world champion to put his wheels on the grass, temporarily ceding second place to his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

However, Sebastian Vettel claims not to have seen Jenson Button's MP4-26. “Ask Fernando (Alonso) if we can't put wheels in the grass », declared the 2011 world champion. “I couldn't see Jenson when the lights went out. My reference point was Lewis. I thought Jenson might have missed his start given that he was on the dirty side of the track and I naturally moved to the right. It?s natural when we are on pole to position ourselves on the inside. I didn't want to put him in danger. »

If the two drivers discussed the incident after the finish, Jenson Button was angry behind the wheel and demanded a penalty for the Red Bull driver. “I immediately realized that he had missed his start and was moving towards me”, explains the McLaren driver. “I used my SREC but it was getting closer and closer. I thought he was going to stop because I was almost level with him. He told me that he didn't see me until I found myself in the grass. I hope Seb is not lying. We are all tough among ourselves, it?s difficult to find the limits. The main thing is that I managed to beat him and win the Grand Prix. I still want to congratulate him because he drove very well this year. »

Find the analysis of our special correspondents with 26 pages on the Japanese Grand Prix, including 10 devoted to the new world champion, in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, on sale from Wednesday.