Vettel on potential penalty: "There was no bad intentions"

Sebastian Vettel is currently under investigation for obstructing Carlos Sainz on a hot lap, but the German has claimed that he simply didn't see Sainz coming, and that there were no bad intentions from him either.

Vettel had passed Sainz earlier on when he was on his own hot lap, so he maybe should've seen him coming. Still, this was in Q1, so there was no major implications or both drivers, as they both made it out with relative ease.

The four-time champion eventually mustered a third place in terms of lap times, leaving him on the same spot as he was last race in France. And he's on the same compound as well. Dejà Vu?

"I passed him [Sainz] on my fast lap in Turn Seven/Eight, and then I was looking down in the main straight and didn't see him," Vettel said at the press conference after qualifying.

"I was turning into Turn One and thinking he must be there somewhere but as it turned out he was trying to go for a fast lap but I couldn't see him.

"I wasn't told over the radio so I can only apologise to him.

"There was no intention, I was looking with my head down the straight."

Vettel's explanation sounds genuine, but he still could be penalized nonetheless. He has to appear in front of the race directory shortly, we'll let you know what happens then.