Lando Norris has insisted there was no blame for the collision with Lewis Hamilton that ruined his Spanish Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver delivered a stellar performance in qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to earn third on the grid.
But the Briton's chances of a positive result came to an end after two corners after contact with the left rear of Hamilton's Mercedes left damage to the right front wing end-plate, forcing a pit stop at the end of lap one for repairs.
Norris would wind up finishing 17th and a lap down on race winner Max Verstappen, but speaking to media, including RacingNews365.com, he insisted the collision was "just a racing incident".
"I didn't see that Max went wide at Turn 1 and had to go across the kerb at Turn 2," said Norris. "It checked up and I was too close to Lewis to be able to react and brake. Unlucky.
"There was no gamble, they broke in Turn 2 - you never brake into Turn 2."
Asked what went through his mind after the contact, Norris quipped: "F**k."
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'Lewis was fine'
Pushed on whether Hamilton has caused avoidable contact, Norris insisted: "Lewis was fine, he didn't do anything wrong.
"It wasn't an incident, it was just unlucky. It checked up and I just didn't know he was going to check up. I just touched Lewis' wheel."