A remorseful Sebastian Vettel admitted he had made a stupid mistake that cost him and Polish rival Robert Kubica certain podium finishes at Sunday's Australian Grand Prix. The German immediately apologized to Kubica after the pair collided while fighting for second place three laps from the end of the race in Melbourne and earning his team a hefty fine. “I had a stupid racing accident,” Vettel said. “I'm sorry to the team and also to Robert as it didn't just mean the end to my race but also his.” Stewards found Vettel to be at fault and demoted him 10 places on the starting grid at next week's Malaysian Grand Prix. They also fined his Red Bull team $50,000 for telling Vettel to continue driving with a broken front wheel instead of immediately retiring. Vettel, who last year became the youngest man to win a Grand Prix, said his mistake was the result of his natural competitiveness. Kubica was rapidly catching Vettel and race leader Jenson Button, who were both using softer tyres that were starting to wear out. “Should I have let him go? You always want to fight,” he said. “Maybe I should have let him go and bring home third place but that's life.” Kubica said Vettel's mistake had not only cost him a place on the podium but also the chance to try and catch Button. “I had a chance to win this race,” the Pole said. “I think Sebastian was a bit too optimistic. “Had this been the last corner okay, but there were still three laps to go and he really had no chance to defend his position because I was so much quicker.”
