Sebastian Vettel has spoken out following his teammate's criticism of Max Verstappen's defensive tactics in Sunday's Grand Prix.

The Finn, known for his calm reaction to... well, everything... was incensed by the youngster's tactics as the pair battled for fifth in the final stages of the race.

Having already lost a front wing endplate in one bruising clash, the Finn subsequently called on his team to have words with race director Charlie Whiting, as he claimed the Dutch driver was moving across the track more than once and in reaction to the Ferrari driver's own moves.

Though no action was taken, Vettel has given his support to his teammate, claiming that Verstappen needs to curb his overenthusiasm.

"I think one of Max's strengths is he's very aggressive," he told reporters after the race, "obviously sometimes you overstep the line. I think he will calm down, give him a bit of time.

"It's also one of his strong points," admitted the German, "of course, when you are fighting with him and sometimes here or there the car in front is not behaving fair, then it's not great.

"Kimi is one of the fairest guys in the field," he added, "but that's how it is sometimes. The race is long, the season is long, so I'm sure they'll meet again."

The German is concerned that if the stewards start getting involved in every little incident, it will damage the sport.

"I'm against the whole policy of penalties and complicated ruling," he said, "I think it's silly. I think people outside are laughing at us, and that's something we need to work on."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by TokyoAussie, 27/07/2016 3:31

"One day Vettel might calm down on the radio, too."

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2. Posted by edllorca, 26/07/2016 14:33

"Verstappen was blocking to the point of deserving a warning if not more."

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3. Posted by jackois, 26/07/2016 9:59

"When most of Vettel's radio chat consists of screaming 'blue flag, blue flag' when people don't get out of his way, it's not surprising that Kimi feels the same sense of entitlement...

as for the stewards, they should investigate every incident, but be consistent. Kimi needs, like many other drivers to make sure there is actually a passing opportunity before sticking the car into a position where he relies on another driver to back off and allow him through."

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4. Posted by White Lightning, 26/07/2016 8:42

"Hope he doesn't. Vettel has curbed his enthusiasm and now he's trundling around in a pre-Schumacher dysfunctional Ferrari clone with little-to-no chance of a title in the next 3 years."

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Vettel: He'll calm down

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