Heidfeld apologises to baffled Yamamoto

SUZUKA, Japan, Oct 5 (Reuters) BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld apologised to Japanese rookie Sakon Yamamoto today after confusing him with compatriot Takuma Sato in an angry confrontation at last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.

Yamamoto was celebrating finishing a Formula One race for the first time in his career when Heidfeld stormed up to him in the Shanghai paddock after a last lap collision that cost the German fourth place.

Heidfeld accused the Super Aguri driver of blocking him, gesticulating angrily and firing off some strong language in his direction. It was only later that he discovered he had been berating the wrong driver.

''I was not that polite,'' the German told Reuters at the Japanese Grand Prix. ''I don't remember what I said. I was very angry, nothing you could put in writing or on TV.

''He didn't have a lot of time to respond because I was just furious, I think once or twice he tried to say something but I just didn't let him speak.

''He acted like he didn't know, which obviously he didn't, and that just made me even more angry.

''So I just went to him and apologised today,'' said Heidfeld.

''I said I thought it was him, obviously, and was very upset after my race because I lost fourth position for nothing basically, for two backmarkers who did big mistakes.

''He accepted my apology so it's all fine.'' Sato was disqualified from the Chinese race after a stewards' enquiry while Spyker MF1s Dutch driver Christijan Albers was reprimanded for also ignoring the blue flags warning that Heidfeld was trying to lap him.

The Japanese continued to plead innocent today, however.

''I don't think I did a wrong thing,'' Sato told a news conference. ''The facts were that three laps before, I let Nick past because he obviously caught me up in the normal way and I let him go.

''But after we had the rain and under these circumstances I was quicker and I caught him and then he simply ran wide into turn one and I overtook him.

''Then we went into the last corner, unfortunately six cars just all coming together. That was a really unfortunate moment but I do really strongly think I did everything right.'' REUTERS AB PM1645