Vettel: 'It wasn't the right thing to say'

Very angry at Max Verstappen's maneuver at the end of the race in Mexico, the Scuderia Ferrari driver sent a radio message with virulent words against Charlie Whiting, but was able to see the race director after the finish.

Published on 31/10/2016 à 11:14

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Vettel: 'It wasn't the right thing to say'

In the tumult of the last laps and the post-race last night in Mexico, the sentence of Sebastian Vettel has far from gone unnoticed. The four-time German world champion was initially very upset to see Max Verstappen crossing the finish line in third position, after cutting the first corner while defending against the driver Ferrari.

Vettel did not fail to express his dissatisfaction directly on his radio to the attention of Charlie Whiting, the FIA race director, using virulent vocabulary. The former resident of Red Bull Racing however wanted to temper the situation immediately after the finish, especially since Verstappen received a penalty of 5″ on his race time, offering the podium to the Maranello driver.

“I had reason to be angry, estimates the German, on Sky Sports. It wasn't the right thing to say, but in my defense, emotions and adrenaline were high… Out of respect, I went to see him. »

Placed under investigation for his defense against Daniel Ricciardo, Vettel will ultimately lose his result, for a maneuver deemed non-compliant with the regulations by the stewards.

Find the report and analysis of the Mexican Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Mexico City, in issue 2087 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version, and this Thursday on newsstands.

Pierre Tassel