Vettel-Kvyat just a 'normal racing incident' - Heidfeld

More pundits have sided with Daniil Kvyat, after Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel slammed the young Russian following the Chinese grand prix. Kvyat, 21, held his ground amid Vettel's verbal rebuke just before the podium ceremony in Shanghai, after the Red Bull driver's first-corner passing move that preceded a collision between the two Ferraris.

"A crime against the racing gods!" former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld joked as he appeared on Austrian television Servus TV this week. "No, seriously, it was just a normal racing incident. Daniil Kvyat, on the right, cannot be expected to see what is happening to the left of Sebastian Vettel's car. Vettel was just caught in the middle, which is something that can happen," the former Sauber and Williams driver explained.

And German motor racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck agreed: "It must be understood that formula one is no walk in the park. "Fans come to the tracks and turn on the TV to see interesting fights, and I am very pleased that in Shanghai that is what they saw," he added.

Heidfeld, however, admitted that he no longer religiously watches each race, arguing that formula one is not as spectacular as in his era. "I have to say honestly that I have not seen all of the races," said the 38-year-old, who now drives in Formula E.

"I was (racing sports cars) at Silverstone last weekend, so I missed the Chinese grand prix, but just the fact that I did not set the alarm for formula one proves that a little something is missing these days. Because previously, I didn't miss a single race," Heidfeld added.

He pointed the finger at the artificial overtaking aid DRS and also the fact that the cars are no longer as fast, but another former F1 driver, Timo Glock, thinks the political wrangling is also damaging the sport. Using the recent qualifying debacle as an example, he said: "I think there are a few power games going on."

"There was no reason to change a familiar and well-established mode for qualifying," the former Toyota driver told the German news agency SID. "Look at football or tennis -- sports with consistent and simple rules that everyone understands. That is why they are so popular," Glock added. (GMM)