Vettel labels Stroll contact a "misunderstanding"

Sebastian Vettel believes his late contact with Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll was down to a "misunderstanding" in chaotic conditions at the Russian Grand Prix.

Stroll was struggling with tyre temperature as rain began to fall at the Sochi Autodrom with just six laps remaining, and as Aston Martin team-mate Vettel closed in, the pair made contact twice at turn 10.

Fortunately for Aston Martin, neither driver sustained significant damage, although it was the culmination of an unhappy race for the team as Stroll and Vettel finished 11th and 12th respectively.

Vettel said: "I guess it was a misunderstanding. I am not sure, I don't think he saw me, or he didn't expect me either.

"Fortunately, nothing happened but unfortunately, we were both out of the points at the end."

Confirming visibility was the issue, Stroll explained: "I couldn't see him. To be honest, I was just sliding around and trying to stay on track, it was really tricky. We both kind of got away with it so it was okay."

Aston Martin "gambling on the wrong option"

Vettel and Stroll were both in the top 10 before a gamble to stay out on slicks, as the intensity of the rain increased, saw both drivers drop out of the points whilst Fernando Alonso stretched Alpine's advantage in the race for fifth in the constructors' standings.

Reflecting on the tyre call, Vettel added: "In the end, we were gambling on the wrong option to stay out with the drys.

"We were not the only ones but it hurt us in the end. Initially, the rain was coming but it wasn't coming a lot so it looked like we were doing the right thing.

"But when the rain became a lot more intense and there was spray and standing water then obviously, there was no chance to stay on track or to stay with the slicks.

"It was very slippery, you lose tyre temperature and you have no profile to get rid of the water so I was very slow, we had a very slow lap the whole lap, not just a couple of corners which was very costly."

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