Sebastian Vettel’s second place on the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix is under threat as he has been summoned by the stewards over a possible qualifying infraction.
The Ferrari driver has been called to see the stewards over an “alleged breach of article 27.4 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations and failing to observe the race director’s instruction, document two (item 16.1), driving unnecessarily slowly on an in lap at 18:13 during qualifying.”Drivers are required to stay above a minimum time between the two Safety Car lines during in-laps to ensure they do not drive unnecessarily slowly. The minimum time for this weekend’s event is one minute and 55 seconds.
Last year four drivers were investigated by the stewards for driving unnecessarily slowly during qualifying sessions. Two of those resulted in reprimands for Kevin Magnussen and Sergey Sirotkin, both at Interlagos, while no action was taken against Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon for similar infractions at the Circuit of the Americas.
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Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
30th March 2019, 18:25
And people say Ferrari are evil, these decisions are lobbied till exhaustion. Of coirse everyone will rightly question what’s the protocol in such cases. Exclusion, docking, grid penalty or reprimand.
joe pineapples
30th March 2019, 18:42
He’s about as much at risk from a race affecting penalty as I am.
Markp
30th March 2019, 18:42
Surely a fine. Depends how strong Mercs power extends, Merc needs to work out Ferraris pace and what they can protest so this will do nicely in the meantime for them.
Prieni
30th March 2019, 19:11
Shouldn‘t it be a maximum time that the drivers have to stay below on the in-lap? A minimum time that they have to stay above would mean they have to go slow…
Jere (@jerejj)
30th March 2019, 20:22
@Prieni Yes indeed.