Decision to give Vettel a slapped wrist after he side-swiped Lewis Hamilton at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has possibly had a more negative effect than the collisionThe FIA might have declared case closed after taking no further action against Sebastian Vettel for his collision with Lewis Hamilton at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but outside the boardroom it appears to be anything but. The ruling has served only to intensify the spotlight on the incident and its aftermath. Vettel issued his mea culpa to the investigation on Monday and was sent home with a slapped wrist. A decision as surprising as it was at odds with many principles the governing body promotes and which has raised further questions and more controversy.Vettel’s stop-go...
Baku’s incendiary incident provided priceless publicity for the sport but its subsequent judgments need to be more understandable for drivers and fansThe 2017 Formula One season finally reached ignition point in Baku and what a glorious conflagration it has started. Who can not be revelling in the prospect of a championship fight between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel defined not by the buddy movie soundbites of mutual respect that had preceded it but by the edge and needle that characterises F1’s truly great rivalries. What had been a gripping tussle for the title now might just have the ingredients to match the heights of Senna v Prost and Piquet v Mansell.It was, fittingly, a heated moment itself that brought the...
Vettel is on the brink of missing the British Grand Prix, Ricciardo and Verstappen are transforming Red Bull’s outlook and Stroll is proving his critics wrongThere was clear disappointment for Lewis Hamilton after his charge in Baku ended in him dropping a further two points to his title rival Sebastian Vettel but, moving on from it and the acrimonious exchanges between the pair, the British driver emerged looking the stronger and more rounded. It was the loose headrest that had actually cost him the win and he took it on the chin and did not apportion blame. “I know the team will be devastated about the issue with the headrest,” he said. “We all feel that pain but it’s on...
German’s high-risk style yields benefits; Force India have bout of indecision; Fernando Alonso engine failure brings McLaren divorce from Honda closerThat Sebastian Vettel does not want to lose points to Lewis Hamilton is a given. What was impressive at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was just how committed he is to the task. Damage to the front wing on lap one was a major setback, coming back to finish fourth a huge recovery and the manner he achieved it a statement of intent. Having chased down and overtaken his team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, and still looking for a podium place, he saw passing the two Force Indias of Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon as paramount. Ocon was first and Vettel’s lunge down...
Some say the German benefited from fortune but others believe it was favour, while the Indy 500 competitor Fernando Alonso remains popular in F1Kimi Raikkonen gave every impression he believed he had been sacrificed by his team to boost Sebastian Vettel’s world championship chances after Ferrari’s strategy worked in the German’s favour at the Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton believed it was clear the Scuderia had chosen their No1 driver but Vettel and his team countered by saying it had been accident rather than design. Raikkonen had been losing pace towards the end of his stint on the ultrasoft rubber and the decision to pit him to cover Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen was expected. What was not was the sudden...