Daniil Kvyat disputed the penalty he received during the British Grand Prix, while Toro Rosso team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. remained coy, after the pair collided on the opening lap.
Kvyat and Sainz Jr. battled on the first lap at Silverstone before coming to blows through Becketts, with Sainz Jr. spinning into retirement as a result.
Kvyat was handed a drive-through penalty, and two penalty points, after stewards deemed he “left the track and rejoined in an unsafe manner, causing a collision with Sainz.”
The Russian went on to finish in 15th position but was angry with the manner of his sanction, and believed Sainz Jr. also played a part in the collision.
“I knew already I wouldn’t be on the perfect line for Turn 12, where the collision happened, since Turn 10, because you commit to the corner very fast,” said Kvyat.
“Second of all I didn’t leave the track, me and the team both agreed, because the punishment was for leaving the track, we need to understand it.
“I’m narrowly [off], but within the track limits, we believe the penalty was too harsh.
“I believe between racing driver and racing driver, not normal people and journalists, [but] a racing driver knows when he sees what happens to me, that you’re never going to be at a perfect line for Turn 12.
“So when you put yourself there you know the collision is 90 per cent unavoidable.
“I believe had the other car been a bit more anticipating about it, he would have been trying to get me back on the next straight.
“It didn’t happen, just put yourself there, and just say to your team-mate ‘okay, you crash in me’.
“That’s what I believe happened, I completely disagree with penalty; yes of course there’s responsibility on me also, but I think we both should be feeling responsible for what happened.”
Sainz Jr. was repeatedly asked about the incident during his post-race media session but declined to offer his full opinion.
“I’m not going to give any opinion about it as I think it’s something to keep internally and analyse internally,” he said.
“But I think the images speaks for themselves, so I’m not going to comment about it.
“We were battling for sure, giving each other quite a lot of room, going into fast corners, until I think one car lost control and hit the other one.”
When asked what he now expected from “the other one”, Sainz Jr. replied: “I don’t know and I don’t really mind, you know, it’s something that will be discussed inside the team.
“I don’t want to generate any polemics as I think the team has enough with two cars crashing out in the first lap to now have someone talking about the other one.”
