F1 News
Date: 22/July/2012
Sebastian Vettel has been stripped of his second place finish in Sunday’s German F1 Grand Prix.
The reigning double World Champion received a 20-second post-race penalty, dropping him to fifth, for gaining an advantage outside of the track limits while overtaking Jenson Button on the penultimate lap of his home race.
Vettel, Button and race winner Fernando Alonso were covered by three seconds in the closing stages of the 67 lap grand prix. Button initially threatened Alonso for victory, but the Ferrari driver kept just out of reach and Button instead found Vettel’s Red Bull filling his wing mirrors.
The German eventually drew alongside under braking for the Turn Six hairpin, but Button clung to the inside and then allowed his McLaren to drift across to the outside kerb on the exit.
Vettel had better drive out of the corner and swerved around Button’s car to make the pass, but in doing so put all four wheels outside of the track limits.
“I wasn’t sure if he had given up the corner or not,” Vettel explained, prior to being told of his penalty.
“I wanted to leave him some space and obviously it’s difficult to know at that time where exactly he is. The last thing you want with one lap to go is to have a crash.
“So then I decided to go off the circuit to make it safe for both of us. As it turned out his rear tyres had no traction so even on the paint, which is quite a lot more slippery than the asphalt, I was able to stay ahead.”
Button had made his views immediately clear during a radio message and, expecting an investigation, refused to comment on the pass following the podium ceremony.
“There’s nothing to say really, I think the TV cameras say it all,” were his only words.
Earlier in the race, Vettel had been on the receiving end of controversial tactics by another McLaren driver, in the form of Button’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The Englishman had suffered a puncture and rejoined the race a lap down, then later got mixed up in the lead battle - overtaking Vettel and almost passing Alonso.
“That was not nice of him,” said Vettel of Hamilton’s interference at the front.
“If he wants to go fast he can drop back, find a gap and go fast there. But it’s a bit stupid to disturb the leaders. He was a lap down so I don’t see the point.
“I think [Hamilton] potentially lost us the position to Jenson at the final pit stop.”
Vettel’s post-race demotion means second place for Button and a fourth podium of the year for Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen.
In the championship standings, Alonso’s third victory hands the Spaniard a 34-point lead over Vettel’s team-mate Mark Webber, who finished just eighth in Germany.
The size of Alonso’s lead means he will still be on top of the championship whatever happens at next weekend’s Hungarian GP, but he insists the advantage means little at this stage.
“We are very happy with the points that we have achieved in the first half but it means nothing, because there are still another ten races in which we need to improve the car,” he said.
“We need to be consistent and we need to keep finishing all the races. One or two drivers always don't finish the race because of mechanical problems or incidents or something, so we need to avoid these problems.”
While Red Bull’s race ended with a penalty, the team looked in real danger of starting the grand prix with some form of sanction. Red Bull were referred to the Stewards by F1 Technical Delegate Jo Bauer, who had spotted an irregularity with the team’s engine torque mapping after qualifying.
Part of Bauer’s statement said: “Having examined the engine base torque map of car numbers 01 and 02 it became apparent that the maximum torque output of both engines is significantly less in the mid rpm range than previously seen at other Events.
“In my opinion this is therefore in breach of article 5.5.3 of the 2012 Formula 1 technical regulations.”
The softening of the mid-rage torque curve could have been used as a potential form of traction control. However Bauer revealed there was also a potential aerodynamic gain:
“Furthermore this new torque map will artificially alter the aerodynamic characteristics of both cars which is also in contravention of TD 036-11. I am referring this matter to the stewards,” his statement added.
Ultimately, the Stewards decided no action would be taken, despite not accepting all of the team’s explanations for the non-linear relationship between throttle position and torque.
Part of the Stewards statement read: “While the stewards do not accept all the arguments of the team, they however conclude that as the regulation is written, the map presented does not breach the text of Art. 5.5.3 of the Formula One Technical Regulations and therefore decided to take no action.”
Rival teams are expected to seek further clarification in the coming days.
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