Update (1:42 p.m. ET): Sebastian Vettel will face no further penalty for his clash with Lewis Hamilton during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Formula One governing body announced Monday.
“Sebastian Vettel extended his sincere apologies to the FIA and the wider motorsport family,” the FIA said in a statement, via NBC Sports. “In light of these developments, FIA president Jean Todt decided that on this occasion the matter should be closed.”
The lack of further action meant Vettel’s fourth-place finish at Baku stands. The German driver remains first in the F1 driver championship standings.
Original story continues below.
Sebastian Vettel’s momentary lapse in judgement during the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix could well play a key role in deciding the 2017 championship.
Vettel had a meeting with FIA president Jean Todt in Paris on Monday regarding the German’s clash with Lewis Hamilton in Baku, and although the FIA hasn’t officially announced the outcome of their discussions, the Mirror reported that Vettel had been stripped of his fourth-place finish from the race, citing “leaked” FIA documents.
“Car 5 deliberately caused a dangerous collision with car 44,” the ruling read, according to the Mirror. “The Court determined that driver Sebastian Vettel’s behavior was such to be sanctioned with the disqualification from the results of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.”
Vettel came under fire after Baku for his seemingly intentional collision with Hamilton during a safety car period. The stewards originally handed the Scuderia Ferrari driver a 10-second penalty as well as a stop-and-go penalty for the incident.
Many, including Hamilton, felt the punishment was too lenient. After the race, he said the fact that Vettel was penalized yet still was able to finish P4 set a dangerous precedent.
If the report proved true, Vettel would lose 12 championship points, dropping his total to 141 heading into the Austrian Grand Prix. Hamilton, meanwhile, would be promoted from fifth to fourth in the final classifications from Baku, putting him level with Vettel at 141 points.
Thumbnail photo via Ferrari
