Vettel to start US GP no higher than fourth
Tuesday 4 December 2018 16:21, UK
Sebastian Vettel's three-place grid penalty for Sunday's US GP has split opinion in the paddock but handed Lewis Hamilton a major title boost.
The Ferrari driver has been punished after the stewards ruled he had failed to slow sufficiently during a red-flag period in Friday practice.
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Vettel's demotion increases the chances of Hamilton being crowned world champion this weekend - Hamilton needs to outscore Vettel by eight points or more to be confirmed as a five-time title winner.
The drivers' perspective on Vettel's penalty
Sky F1 analyst Paul Di Resta, who drove for Williams last season, sympathised with Vettel's plight.
"This year there's a new hard rule and the drivers have got a certain amount of time to slow up," explained Di Resta. "The FIA say you've got two 'zones' to get to that speed, but if you're at the end of the first zone, you've got less time because you're going to get to the end of the second zone quicker. That's where it's difficult.
"I feel for the drivers. Vettel slowed, it's just whether that delta is a bit too quick. When I look at that from a driver's point of view, I would say that is definitely slow enough and he's taken the appropriate action. Yes, it's safety critical, but he slowed sufficiently for a Formula 1 car. As soon as he saw the red lights, he reduced his speed.
"All the drivers will be on Vettel's side on this. The rule needs changing. It needs to be tweaked."
How did the paddock react to Vettel's penalty?
Red Bull boss Christian Horner, for whom Vettel drove when he won four world championships, described the regulation as a "rubbish rule," but immediately acknowledged the stewards "have to show consistency".
Earlier this year, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was penalised with a three-place grid drop for a similar offence while Force India's Esteban Ocon also went back three places for the Japanese GP after speeding under a red flag.
"It's not a good regulation and it's not a good penalty," added Horner. "We're over-regulated as a sport as it is."
Even though Vettel's penalty has increased the chances of his own driver securing the title this weekend, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff agreed the regulation should be changed.
"For the championship obviously it's not good if Sebastian gets a penalty, we would obviously want him there and put on a good show," Wolff told Sky F1.
"I think we need to talk about it. The safety of the stewards and of a car that's in the barrier is super important but we need to look at the regulations because we want to get rid of the penalties. Merging those two is not a trivial thing."
What have Vettel and Ferrari said?
The Ferrari driver is adamant he should not have been penalised.
"I think it's wrong, I think l slowed down," Vettel told Sky Sports. "I think there should be common sense with the rules that we have."
Ferrari have not commented formally about the punishment.
What have the Italian press said?
The Italian media have been increasingly critical of Vettel in recent weeks as his title bid faded and it appears Vettel is unlikely to receive a sympathetic hearing for his latest setback:
