F1 | Australian GP | Vettel fined for driving a scooter on track after the end of FP1
After his Aston Martin car caught fire with a quarter of FP1 to go, Sebastian Vettel waited trackside until the end the session, when he took a marshal’s scooter and drove it to the pit lane. But the stewards deemed Vettel’s behaviour unsafe, and fined the German in 5,000 Euros.
Vettel was back in an FP1 session for the first time since Abu Dhabi 2021 after his COVID-19 positive tests left him out of the first two races of 2022 - but had a troubled day out on track. Firstly, his Aston Martin AMR22 caught fire with just under 15 minutes to go of the session, forcing the German to jump out and watch the rest of the session from trackside.
Fireman Seb made his return in Australia 🧯
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2022
Here's hoping he's back on track in second practice! 🤞#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/SLYghXNqjT
He patiently waited the session to end, but just moments after the chequered flag fell – four minutes after the flag - the four-time champion got a scooter from a marshal without proper permission to do so, and drove it on the track, back to the pit lane – all while his helmet was partially off and waving to the crowd.
This naturally caught the eyes of the stewards, who after investigating the ‘incident’ have deemed that Vettel was in the wrong for breaching Article 26.7 of F1’s Sporting Regulations, and decided a fine of 5,000 Euros was adequate for the infringement.
Article 26.7 says that in the five-minute period after the chequered flag, no person should be on track unless with specific permission to do so, and Vettel didn’t have a permission in this case, as he went on the circuit on his own personal judgement.
The explanation of the decision, given by the FIA, states:
“The Stewards determined that car 5 stopped on the circuit due to a mechanical issue. At the end of the session, VET sought a way to return to his pit. A marshal was at the location with a scooter. VET asked if he could drive the scooter in order to return to his pit. The marshal assented. VET got on the scooter, expecting the marshal to get on behind him.
This is the most iconic end to a practice session we can remember 😅#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/4jPlAZotzd
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2022
“When he didn’t get on, VET departed alone for the pit, without the prior approval to do so. Meanwhile, the marshal was trying to contact Race Control for instructions. In driving on the track to his pit, instead of the designated route, VET breached Article 26.7 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations, which prohibits, anyone from being on the track in the five-minute period after the end of a session, with the exception of specifically identified personnel, which makes no provision for drivers to have such access unless specifically authorized.”
The German is famous for breaking procedures such as these. He took a ride on top of Pascal Wehrlein’s Sauber after the end of the Malaysian GP in 2017 – instead of waiting for the medical car - after his rather bizarre collision with his now team-mate Lance Stroll, who was then at Williams.
