Autosportfoto

F1 Mexican GP: Vettel not charged by FIA for outburst

The FIA will not punish Sebastian Vettel for his expletive radio messages to race director Charlie Whiting and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at the end of the Mexican Grand Prix.

Vettel told Whiting via his team radio to 'f*** off' as his anger overcame him during the closing stages of the race in Mexico, incensed that Verstappen had not ceded his third place after running off track at turn one while attempting to defend against the German.

His aggressive outbursts continued when he was informed by team radio the incident would be examined after the race as he vented his rage at both Verstappen and Whiting.

In a statement from the FIA and president Jean Todt, it has been confirmed any punishments will be dropped against Vettel after his 'sincere apology and strong commitment', having apologised in person immediately after the race to Whiting and written formal apologises to Whiting, the FIA and Verstappen.

The statement confirmed an FIA International Tribunal will not be called for the case and despite 'always condemn the use of offensive language' Vettel will not be handed any punishment.

The FIA has stressed any future incidents of aggressive and attacking outbursts like the four-time F1 world champion's will cause a disciplinary hearing.

The FIA's full statement:

At the recent Mexican Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel made comments over team radio using repeated foul language directed at both the FIA Formula 1 Race Director Charlie Whiting and a fellow competitor which were retransmitted during the live broadcast of the event.

Immediately following this incident, Sebastian Vettel spontaneously sought out Charlie Whiting to express his regrets for his behaviour in person. He then, again on his own initiative, sent letters to each of the FIA President Jean Todt and Charlie Whiting, in which he apologised profusely for his actions.

He also indicated that he would likewise be contacting Max Verstappen and vowed that such an incident would never occur again.

In the light of this sincere apology and strong commitment, the FIA President has decided, on an exceptional basis, not to take disciplinary action against Mr Vettel by bringing this matter before the FIA International Tribunal.

The FIA will always condemn the use of offensive language in motor sport - especially when directed at officials and/or fellow participants - and expects all participants in its Championships to be respectful and mindful of the example they set for the public and the younger generation in particular.

The FIA takes this opportunity to advise that, in the event of any future incident similar to the one that occurred in Mexico, disciplinary action will be taken by bringing such incident before the FIA International Tribunal to be judged.

Vettel was handed a post-race ten-second time penalty for 'moving under braking' while defending against Daniel Ricciardo in the final laps in Mexico, which saw his promoted third place demoted to fifth place in the final classification, with Ricciardo third and Verstappen fourth. 

Zdroj: crash.net