Advertisement

Updated April 9th, 2022 at 10:10 IST

Sebastian Vettel's scooter 'joyride' at Australian GP forces F1 to take drastic step

Sebastian Vettel moped ride on the circuit has come at a price for him after being handed a fine by F1 of €5,000 for taking a scooter onto the racing circuit.

Reported by: Suraj Alva
Sebastian Vettel driving scooter on F1 track
Image: F1/ Twitter | Image:self
Advertisement

Aston Martin F1 driver Sebastian Vettel finally returns to the F1 track for the 2022 season in Melbourne after missing the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GP. However, the return to the F1 circuit was short-lived as the German driver had to retire 15 minutes earlier than planned during FP1 after developing an engine issue. After completing the first free practice session, Sebastian Vettel decided to ride around the Albert Park Circuit on a bike. However, Sebastian Vettel's moped ride on the circuit has come at a price for him. The German driver has been handed a fine of €5,000 for taking a scooter onto the racing circuit.

Australian GP: Sebastian Vettel scooter ride fined by F1

Sebastian Vettel's moped ride incident came into the limelight on Friday following the conclusion of the practice session. Vettel had borrowed a scooter from the marshals, to take the ride onto the track and back to the pits. The incident was brought to investigation at the end of Friday’s running. The stewards decided to fine the four-time champion, who was deemed to have broken Article 26.7 of the Sporting Regulations.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1)

In their verdict, the stewards wrote: “At the end of the session, VET sought a way to return to his pit. A marshal was at the location with a scooter. VET asked if he could drive the scooter in order to return to his pit. VET got on the scooter, expecting the marshal to get on behind him. When he didn’t get on, VET departed alone for the pit, without the prior approval to do so. Meanwhile, the marshal was trying to contact Race Control for instructions".

The statement further said, “In driving on the track to his pit, instead of the designated route, VET breached Article 26.7 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations, which prohibits anyone from being on the track in the five-minute period after the end of a session, with the exception of specifically identified personnel, which makes no provision for drivers to have such access unless specifically authorized.”

A look at the result from FP1 and FP2  at the Australian GP

The Albert Park circuit in Melbourne has undergone significant changes from the previous time it hosted a Formula 1 race and drivers have already tried their hands on the track during the Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2, held on Friday. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished the first practice as the fastest driver on the grid by putting down a lap time of 1:19.806, while Charles Leclerc followed at P2 being 0.571 seconds slower than Sainz. The Red Bull pair of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen finished P3 and P4 respectively as the Mercedes pair looked off-pace yet again.

Advertisement

Published April 9th, 2022 at 10:10 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo