FIA outlines decision to penalize Sebastian Vettel
The first contact came on the exit of turn 16.
On initial viewing, it appeared that Hamilton broke excessively, causing Vettel to run into the back of his Mercedes. After multiple viewings, it becomes clear that Hamilton didn’t use the brakes, but neither did he accelerate out of the corner. He had also done this on a previous restart, so it was nothing new.
Based on this evidence, the stewards did not penalize Hamilton.
The second part of the incident came just a few feet down the road. Clearly furious that he believed Hamilton had brake-tested him, Vettel pulled alongside to gesticulate at his championship rival, when he slammed his Ferrari into the side of the Mercedes.
The impact caused the Vettel’s Ferrari to bounce into the air and could have caused the retirement of both cars, given how fragile Formula 1 machinery is. For this action, the stewards awarded a 10-second stop-go penalty to Vettel. Adding the total traveling time in the pits, this penalty roughly equated to 30 seconds that he lost.
The official statement from the FIA read:
Fact – Car 5 collided with car 44 in turn 16
Offense – Breach of Article 27.4 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations
Decision – 10 second Stop and Go penalty (3 penalty points awarded, 9 total for the 12 month period)
Reason – The stewards examined video evidence which showed that car 5 drove alongside and then steered into car 44. The stewards decide this movement was deemed potentially dangerous.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, including the live television footage which was being beamed to all corners of the globe, Vettel refused to admit fault or even acknowledge his part in the incident, instead opting to question why Hamilton had escaped without punishment.
“The leader dictates the pace but we were exiting the corner, he was accelerating and then he braked so much that I couldn’t — I was braking as soon as I saw, but I couldn’t stop in time and ran in the back of him. I think that was just not necessary," Vettel said.
When pressed again about the second contact, Vettel again refused to acknowledge the part he had played, again talked only about the perceived brake test.
“After the incident right there, I went side-by-side and raised my hand to show him that I wasn’t happy with that. Yeah (there was contact), I ran into the back of him."
With Vettel penalized, Hamilton should have been able to coast to victory but a problem with his headrest — it had not be put in position properly after a red flag period — meant that he also had to pit. This put him out just behind Vettel, and the pair finished in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Not only was Hamilton upset by the penalty handed out to Vettel — believing, as many do, that the black disqualification flag should have been shown — but he was also concerned by the example that has been shown to drivers in junior formulas.
“It definitely sets a precedent," Hamilton said. “I think, not only for Formula 1 but also for all of the young kids that are watching us Formula 1 drivers drive and conduct ourselves. They’ve seen today how a multiple F1 champion behaves, and I hope that doesn’t ripple into the younger categories.
“In terms of how things are penalized, how you can do something like that and then still finish fourth, I don’t know. I’ve not really thought too much about it since — I just tried to get back up, but obviously, it’s not a great day."
Equally unconcerned about his reputation and the impact that this could have on the lower levels of motorsport, Vettel attempted one final time to shift the focus and blame onto his rival.
“I think Formula One is for grown-ups," Vettel concluded. “As I said, the maneuver before was not necessary and obviously damaged my front wing. Damaged also his rear a little bit, so I think that was just not the right way to do it — exiting the corner, accelerating and then braking. I don’t think there was any point of doing that." Sam Hall/AutoWeek