Started by mellowtiger83 · · 👁 23 views · 358 replies
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Timothy Castillo6 said:Of course they do—you’ve got Toto plus sixty million Englishmen.
While the onboard footage makes it pretty obvious that Vettel was just struggling to stay upright after bouncing off the grass—trying to get back on track—it seems the stewards focused more on what he did once he actually regained control.
The officials went over the slow-mo replays of Vettel’s movements from the second he got the car steady again—and they apparently decided there were other ways to handle it that wouldn't have broken the rules.
The video shows Vettel fighting that snap of oversteer as he hits the asphalt again—which is easy to spot by that sudden jerk of the steering wheel to the right.
A moment later, he seems to have the oversteer under wraps and starts steering left to line up with the corner—suggesting things were finally under control.
But just a fraction of a second afterward, instead of staying left, Vettel lets go of the wheel—causing the car to drift right and essentially block the line Hamilton would have taken if he'd had any breathing room.
That specific move to straighten the wheel—the one that put Ferrari into the path of Hamilton's Mercedes—is thought to be why the stewards were so unanimous about punishing him.
The stewards also had access to a CCTV angle that wasn't even on the main TV broadcast; it shows Vettel moving his head and looking in the mirrors to see Hamilton was during the moments when he was releasing the wheel to the right.
Even the onboard shots show his head turning toward the mirrors right as he's drifting out—so, I guess, it implies he knew exactly where Hamilton was positioned.
If Vettel had just stayed tight to the left once he had the car back, there probably would have been plenty of room for Hamilton to pass on the right—and if that happened, I doubt there would have even been an investigation.
Telemetry data confirms Hamilton had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting him, which really highlights how much the Mercedes driver was caught off guard by what happened.
Precedent for the decision to punish Vettel for both rejoining the track in an unsafe manner and forcing a rival off the track was made last year in Japan when Max Verstappen was hit with a five-second penalty for a collision with Kimi Raikkonen at the chicane.
Verstappen had run wide at the chicane on the first lap of the race and rejoined in an aggressive manner, pushing Raikkonen wide on the exit.
Back then, the late F1 race director Charlie Whiting noted: "You are required to rejoin safely and Kimi was there and [Verstappen was] pushing him off the track. So I think that was a fairly straightforward one for the stewards."
stormyviper2 said:Oh, come on—if you actually met your hero, you’d probably want a photo too. You're all just acting tough now. LOL. XD
stormyviper2 said:Alright, enough about the incident already. Maybe try commenting on something else.
gentlemoose57 said:https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/r...anada/4461461/
Hehe, someone is acting a bit too indignant here.
So, you fanboys think your hero is just being played, huh?
Richard Walker38 said:Where exactly did Lewis Hamilton go off?
Strictly speaking—by the rules—Sebastian Vettel was guilty.
It seems he either squeezed someone else out—Hamilton into the wall on the exit of Turn Four—to the extent that the Mercedes driver had to slam on the brakes just to stay out of trouble.
Alternatively, according to his defense—that his momentum simply carried him across the entire track—he’s still essentially at fault for rejoining in an unsafe manner. It seems he wasn't quite in full control of the car, which ultimately resulted in Lewis Hamilton being forced off the road.
One of these scenarios has to be right—I guess.
If he had no choice but to drive straight into Lewis Hamilton, then we're looking at a safety issue—which is just as bad. But if he actually chose to do it, then it's blatant and definitely warrants a penalty, I guess.
It’s a bit of a catch-22—you essentially need to have it both ways just to sidestep the penalty.
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During the race in the USA, Max Verstappen locked up under pressure—then cut the corner—and when rejoining, he forced Kimi Raikkonen off the track to keep his position, I guess.
Red Bull Racing took a five-second penalty there—hardly anyone raised an eyebrow after the fact. The consensus seemed to be that Max Verstappen was just being too aggressive and earned the call. Honestly, I suspect the Ferrari camp would have been nodding in agreement at the time.
Actually, Sebastian Vettel made it quite clear—he argued that a driver in Kimi Raikkonen's position shouldn't constantly be forced to be the one taking evasive action.
It feels a bit desperate seeing Ferrari appeal that Vettel penalty—especially since the circumstances are almost identical. If anything, I believe the Verstappen case was more acceptable than the Vettel one. In that instance, he's clearly attempting to steer the car away from Kimi Raikkonen, which might clear up some of the ambiguity we saw with the Vettel case.
Kimi Raikkonen actually had a decent chance to pick either lane to dodge Max Verstappen—whereas Lewis Hamilton really only had the outside option, getting halfway alongside Vettel before being shoved right into the wall.
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Had Sebastian Vettel managed to stay composed on lap 48, we’d probably be celebrating his incredible performance this weekend—rather than dissecting this messy result. But he lost it, broke the rules, and ultimately had to pay the price.
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It’s worth remembering—though I guess it goes without saying—that the stewards have access to far more data than anyone else, specifically regarding speeds, various camera angles, and those throttle or brake traces. It isn't a guarantee they'll always make the right call, but in this instance, I suspect that data might actually be quite significant.
The interpretation seemed to be that Sebastian Vettel wasn't obligated to stay on the right—that there was actually another option available—which, I guess, was the deciding factor in them handing out the penalty.
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Lewis Hamilton was the quicker driver during the Grand Prix—though he seemed to struggle for that final edge whenever he got within half a second due to the dirty air—much like how Max Verstappen dealt with Hamilton in Monaco the previous race.
While Lewis Hamilton kept his cool in Monaco without a single slip-up—Sebastian Vettel, on the other hand, really dropped the ball. After forty-seven laps of intense pressure, Hamilton finally found his opening; claiming that being forced off the track or needing to back off is a valid defense for Vettel just doesn't seem right, I guess.
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Sebastian Vettel’s real stroke of genius was how he played the diversions once the race was over—all that theatrical smoke and mirrors with the meltdown, followed by the sheer audacity of swapping those final position markers with Lewis Hamilton in parc fermé.
He really won over the crowd—most of whom were there rooting for Ferrari in Canada—who, frankly, were all pretty gutted that a penalty ended up deciding the whole race. Everyone was.
I suppose Vettel's own choices made sure all the noise focused on the penalty itself—rather than the actual mistake that caused it.
It seems to follow a pattern—that German driver just can't quite hold it together when things get intense. Lewis Hamilton wasn't really going to make a move on Sebastian Vettel in Turn Three anyway; it’s hardly a spot for passing—but Vettel essentially lost control of his car while leading, which just handed the advantage over on a silver platter.
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The last time the leader essentially handed the win over to someone else, we were looking at Sebastian Vettel. Interestingly—if you check the stats—that was also the last time he sat on pole position; it's been about 17 races since that happened back in Germany.
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To be fair, Vettel lost the race in Canada back in 2011 too—though the context was different—but the result was much the same, losing it on the final lap while dealing with some pressure from Button. At that time, though, the Red Bull Racing car was so dominant that he wasn't really under constant threat.
Now that he’s with Ferrari, this tendency seems to be surfacing quite often, which might just be the defining narrative of today's race. It feels less like the penalty itself was the issue, and more like another unforced error from Sebastian Vettel while leading.
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He took a five-second penalty. Sure, that effectively decided the outcome and robbed us of what could have been a thriller, but honestly, that was probably the lightest penalty the stewards could have given for what Sebastian Vettel clearly did.
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The massive backlash and the drama following the race have been, frankly, a bit ridiculous.
Gary Palmer8 said:And where exactly did he push Ricciardo off the track?
fadedpanther51 said:What are we actually expecting from this appeal, and who are they even appealing to? The local water board? 😁
Raymond Anderson4 said:Look at those guys on the pit wall. They completely forgot. 🤣
It’s honestly no surprise they're getting slapped around by Mercedes year after year.
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Heh, someone's acting a little high and mighty.
Alright, you little fanboys, looks like you think our hero is a bit of a cheat.
Roger Wright94 said:All in all, I’d say I’m pretty happy with how things went.
Ferrari lost the race, but they gave Mercedes a hell of a fight.
I just wish they'd swapped Charles Leclerc's tires immediately after Sebastian Vettel's, so he could have actually stayed in the mix and hunted down Lewis Hamilton.
This race was basically a blueprint for how to take down Mercedes. You have to execute everything flawlessly. Every single detail. And honestly, some parts were brilliant.
Lewis made more mistakes than Sebastian Vettel, from FP through to the race. But he managed to escape without any major fallout. The car made up for it, IMO.
Sebastian Vettel paid a heavy price for his error. But he proved he can still compete at this level.
