Daniil Kvyat defended his driving after heated criticism from Sebastian Vettel, who felt his overtaking move resulted in the two Ferraris making contact on the first lap of the Chinese Grand Prix. Kvyat darted up the inside of Vettel ahead of Turn 2, forcing him off his line and into a collision with teammate Kimi Raikkonen.
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The manoeuvre was labelled "suicidal" by an angered Vettel, who also called the Russian "a madman" on the team radio. The four-time world champion vented his frustration at Kvyat's move in the holding area behind the podium upon completion of the race.
"You came like a torpedo," Vettel raged. "I was racing," came the response from a grinning Kvyat. Unimpressed, Vettel said: "If I keep going the same line we will crash."
'Only two eyes'
"Well don't keep going," suggested the Russian. "There was another car on the left also," the Ferrari driver offered, to which Kvyat responded: "I can't see all three cars, come on, I only have two eyes."
Unsatisfied, the German told his counterpart: "You need to expect if you attack like crazy, you damage the car. You were lucky this time."
In the podium interviews, Kvyat, who finished third behind winner Nico Rosberg and Vettel, remained nonchalant about the incident, insisting that it did not matter because the pair were both in the top three.
"It's difficult to judge how it looked from his side. I had a really good start. You see the gap, you go for it," he said. "It's hard to see both cars. It was a risky move but these kind of moves can get you on a podium. I'll keep doing it."
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