After taking the time to reflect on the antics of the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix held at the Baku City Circuit on Sunday afternoon/evening, this author has one thing to say, shame Sebastian Vettel, shame.
Actually, the Ferrari drivers move on race leader Lewis Hamilton at the second restart was more than just shameful, it was downright dangerous and in my opinion, he should have been black flagged immediately.
So what's all the fuss about I hear you asking….well…read on.
As Hamilton controlled the pace at the front of the field as the safety car peeled off into pitlane, Vettel accused the Mercedes driver of braking testing him, a theory that was discounted hours after the race finished with telemetry proving that Hamilton was at the same speed for every safety car restart, making sure that he gave the safety car enough time to get into the pits ahead of him and not be penalized for overtaking it before the control line. However, for some reason, on this particular restart, Vettel was a little bit closer to the back of the Mercedes as they prepared to go racing yet again, probably because he was very wary of the threat behind him from the Force India of Sergio Perez, and he hit into the back of Hamilton's car.
Throwing his hands into the air as if it was Hamilton's fault, the Ferrari driver then sped up and went alongside the Mercedes before swerving into him in what can only be seen as a fit of road rage. If we did that on the normal Australian roads, we would be charged with road rage, but Vettel had the hide to accuse Hamilton of being at fault, and then ask incredulously what he had done wrong to deserve a pathetic ten second stop and go penalty.
https://youtu.be/Cx4AartWhg4
This move, while in totally different circumstances, was no better than the one performed by Michael Schumacher on Jacques Villeneuve back in the 1997 season finale at the Jerez circuit in Spain. If Villeneuve won the race it would mean that Schumacher would lose the world championship battle, so as Villeneuve came up to pass the Ferrari for the lead of the race, Schumacher rammed into the side of the Williams with the intent of putting the Williams diver out of the race. However, it didn't quite unfold the way Schumacher had hoped as his Ferrari was forced to retire as a result of the collision and Villeneuve went on to finish the race and secure his one and only F1 World title.
This move also caused a lot of backlash with the millions of Ferrari fans around the world blaming Villeneuve for the crash. However, the sport's governing body, the FIA, had all the data and information needed to prove that it was in fact Schumacher's fault and he was penalized for dangerous driving. Only, jis penalty wasn't a simple time penalty like Vettel's on Sunday afternoon, Schumacher's penalty for dangerous driving was a lot harsher, he was in fact stripped of his then second place in the 1997 F1 world Championship.
In the case of Vettel vs Hamilton on Sunday, the FIA has all they need to prove that Hamilton DID NOT brake test Vettel as the German has accused him of doing, in fact they have all the data to prove that Hamilton didn't do anything wrong at all, in fact he was travelling at the same speed at all three restarts. The problem is, Ferrari, Vettel and the worldwide Ferrari fans won't believe this, they think because Hamilton is British that the FIA are defending him. How this makes sense is beyond this writer, as the FIA is in fact based in France headed by a Frenchman, Jean Todt, who was once boss of Ferrari. They also say it's because Vettel is German, that's why the FIA are defending Hamilton, but um….isn't Mercedes a German engine giant? Hmmmmm…these arguments are not holding up.
The fact remains that Vettel DID ram into the side of Hamilton's Mercedes in a fit of anger. End of story and while Sebastian should be totally ashamed of his actions, so should the stewards who chose to reprimand him with a simple ten second drive through penalty for doing something that could have resulted in very serious accident. Even the commentators were stunned by the leniency shown to the Ferrari driver and the papers in Europe on Monday were full of Vettel's disgraceful actions.
For all the Aussie readers, do you remember an episode between Mark Skaife and Russel Ingall in the V8 Supercars several years back? 2003 Eastern Creek, the two came together and Skaife got angrily out of the car, removed his helmet and waited for Russel Ingall to come back around. As Ingall rounded the corner near where Skaife was standing, her swerved toward the angry Holden driver, who shook his fist at his fellow Australian in his frustration at being put out of the race.
Remember the repercussions from that action? Both drivers were penalised for their actions, because both did the wrong thing, Skaife for hanging around dangerously at the side of the circuit and moving toward Ingall in anger, and Ingall for swerving toward the Holden driver. Ingall received the heavier punishment of the two, excluded from both races and losing all the points he had accumulated at that round.
Looking at everything, Vettel got off extremely lightly, and it has nothing to do with which driver you support. His actions were WRONG and DANGEROUS, and not just because it was Vettel, or a Ferrari, but because that move could have been deadly!
Here's hoping that now he has had time to cool down and he can see the replays of his actions, Sebastian Vettel will be totally ashamed of himself and here's hoping that the FIA review the incident and hand down a penalty worthy of the crime.
Please note: All opinions reflected in this article are those of the writer and not of Zero Digital Media.
