Todt justifies Vettel judgement – labels Baku clash ‘unacceptable’

FIA President Jean Todt has justified the governing body’s relative leniency towards Sebastian Vettel but insists the German could face severe consequences if his Baku antics were to be repeated.

Vettel was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty and added three penalty points on his license for ramming into Lewis Hamilton during a Safety Car period in the Azerbaijan BP.

The German driver was summoned to the FIA last Monday but was let off the hook with no further sanctions, although Vettel released an official apology in which he regretted his actions. 

• Hamilton won’t take back ‘disgrace’ comment on Vettel

“Before the re-start after the Safety Car, there was an unacceptable incident between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton,” Todt told Sky Sports News HQ’s Craig Slater in the Austrian GP paddock.

“The stewards decided that Vettel should have a 10-second stop-and-go, which is quite a severe offence and means that it modified the result from being the winner to finishing fourth.

“I thought that we needed to understand better what had happened. That is why I asked the Deputy President for Sport, Graham Stocker, the Head of Formula 1, Charlie Whiting, and the Head of Safety [Laurent Mekies] to speak with Sebastian to try and understand better.

“After that, they came to me and asked me to seize the driver, which I did, and then the decision was taken not to ask any more. 

“It is important that we are precise. It was also in respect to Lewis to clarify that he was not at all responsible for this happening.” 

• Vettel denies anger issues, regrets behaviour

Vettel has been warned by the FIA that any repeat of his Baku actions in the future will land him in very hot water.

The Ferrari driver was also on the receiving end of a warning from the FIA following his behaviour in last year’s Mexican GP, when he lashed out over the team’s radio at race director Charlie Whiting.

“Mexico was a completely different offence,” Todt explained.

“We have seen Sebastian is not always able to control himself as much as we should – I used to run drivers and they are in a very tense situation – and I think you must try to interpret the situation well. This does not give them the right to do anything but you must try and understand it.

“It is very easy to make decisions behind a desk or to judge behind a desk. You must accept in life that human beings are emotional.

“This was a completely different matter but clearly Sebastian has had some very strong warnings.

“He was digesting the scene and the emotion was such that he did a big mistake,” Todt added.

“He slowly understood that he did a big mistake and at least he ensured me that it would never happen again.

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