It was just after Sebastian Vettel speared into Jenson Button during Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix that the word ‘impetuous’ sprung to mind, and naturally I lobbed my thought at Twitter. I wasn’t alone in having that thought.

It wasn’t long before Martin Brundle used the word to describe Vettel in the BBC commentary. Then after the race it was Ron Dennis’s turn, and James Allen applied generous coatings of the word yesterday, in writing about Vettel.

So Martin Whitmarsh may have labelled Vettel the ‘Crash Kid’, but is impetuous more accurate? I thought I’d get a definition:

1. Acting or done quickly and without thought or care
2. Moving forcefully or rapidly

You couldn’t hope for a more perfectly apt description of Vettel at the weekend, could you? He acted quickly without thought or care; and moved forcefully and rapidly.

Impetuous: a lovely, snug fit of a word.