"THERE was nothing I could do," was the reaction of Marussia driver Max Chilton after a first lap crash ended his record of finishing every Formula One race he has started.
The Reigate-based racer collided with his Marussia team-mate Jules Bianchi on the first lap of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Commentators were adamant Chilton was at fault, believing the Surrey driver edged into his team-mate as they turned a corner. The contact ended the race for both Marussias but caused significant damage to Bianchi's car in particular, with the safety car forced into early action as stewards cleared the track of debris.
But in an interview with the BBC, Chilton made it clear who he felt caused the crash, insisting Bianchi braked "too late".
"I braked to the point where I knew I could get through the corner but to my surprise, he [Bianchi] braked even later. Which was late, because I was already late," Chilton said. "He turned in and it looked like I hit him because he was in front of me, but he was only in front of me because he braked too late.
"I feel really sorry for the team because there was quite a lot of damage to the two cars but there was nothing I could have done; I'm not going to back out, down the inside, because he's my team-mate. He should have seen me, because he's my team-mate."
