As a result of the crash, Vettel is now 28 points behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who won the race.
The German star was entangled in a crash with Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the first corner.
“I had an average start and then I moved slightly to the left trying to defend my position from Max,” Vettel said.
“Then I got bumped on one side as Kimi’s car hit me. I’m not sure what happened. I span at turn three, but that’s because the car was damaged already.”
Vettel has since been criticised for his “reckless” and “aggressive” driving and blamed for the incident.
“There is nothing we can do now and for sure it is bitter, and it’s a pity we couldn’t show our pace,” he said at the end of the race.
“But we have other races ahead of us and I am sure there will be more opportunities for us.”
With ANSA
