Sebastian Vettel lost ten points

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), if he is not World Champion at the end of the season, he will know where he lost points: on many circuits. As in Istanbul, Silverstone and Hockenheim, Sebastian Vettel missed out on the big prize this Sunday in Budapest. However, this time, the German got off to a good start. He even led the race masterfully, widening the gap very significantly, to almost a second per lap. But an unexpected event disrupted this all-too-perfect scenario.

To clear debris from the track, the safety car entered. And, at the restart, Sebastian Vettel took too long to put on the gas, leaving too big a gap between him and Mark Webber. A few laps later, he received a pit stop penalty. “ Honestly, I didn't understand at the time why I was given a penalty but it was expressed to me quite clearly. “, explains Vettel.

« I was asleep at the time of the restart. I was warming up the car. I had lost radio communication for a moment, and I was waiting for instructions to know when the safety car was going to return. Unfortunately, I did not see the “safety car in” light in my car. And, as Mark (Webber) was glued to her, I thought we were starting a new lap under the safety car. »

« I was caught off guard, I lost momentum, I lost time and had to do a drive through. It's a shame because I really hoped to win today. I'm third so it's a good result for the team but, personally, I'm very disappointed. »

Sebastian Vettel, who could win, therefore only collected fifteen points instead of the 25 points for victory. These ten points could make the difference at the end of the season but, for the moment, they place Sebastian Vettel in third position in the championship standings? ten points behind Mark Webber.