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Malaysian GP: Ocon says Sainz 'drove straight into me' in clash

Force India Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon says Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz "drove straight into me" during their Malaysian Grand Prix battle.

Ocon had closed in on Sainz's eighth position around the halfway distance of the grand prix and made a move at Turn 1 around the outside, but contact with the Toro Rosso pitched Ocon into a spin.

The Frenchman fell to 12th following the incident but recovered to 10th, as Sainz later retired with a suspected engine problem.

"I tried to overtake Carlos and, I don't know what he did, but he just locked up and drove straight into me," said Ocon.

He added that he felt his race was "ruined" well before that clash, after contact with Felipe Massa on the first lap forced Ocon to pit early with a puncture.

Ocon was squeezed between Massa and team-mate Sergio Perez into Turn 2, and hit the Williams driver, which forced him to pit from seventh.

"It was a disastrous race, let's say," said Ocon.

"That [puncture] ruins my race, I managed to keep on that tyre until the end but when I tried to overtake Sainz he crashed into me.

"Not much I could do there. But it started with the first thing at the start.

"We have to review that and I'm not happy."

Sainz said Ocon closed the door on him too early in the move.

"We obviously were fighting for position and we both braked extremely late into Turn 1 and then he started closing, closing, closing on me and I didn't have any more steering and we just collided a bit," said Sainz.

"I think he was already ahead of me so if you are already ahead of me, don't risk closing on me, especially when we both braked so late.

"He was already pretty much ahead so I just started to turn, I ran out of steering lock and we collided."

Zdroj: autosport.com