Sebastian Vettel maintains he did nothing wrong in an overtaking move, which cost him a 20-second penalty at Sunday’s German Grand Prix.
Formula One’s double world champion was demoted from second to fifth as a result of the penalty imposed for leaving the track while overtaking McLaren’s Jenson Button on the penultimate lap.
“In my view everything was correct but you can’t do anything if those responsible see things differently,” the 25-year-old German said on his homepage.
“It’s like in football: one referee gives a penalty, the other doesn’t. You have to live with it.” The Red Bull driver, who is third in the standings behind overall leader Fernando Alonso, who won the race in Hockenheim, and teammate Mark Webber, said he was sorry most of all for the team and the fans.
Vettel has received backing from Red Bull motorsport chief Helmut Marko who told Austria’s ServusTV late Monday that “the whole situation was triggered by Button, who left Sebastian no room and pushed him out.” Vettel was not given the benefit of the doubt, he said, adding: “There is a bad aftertaste. There is a double standard.” Marko compared the penalty on Vettel to “capital punishment for stealing chickens.”
Keywords: Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel, German Grand Prix
Have to say I agree that Vettel was given no room on the outside by Button....very similar to what Hamilton did to Maldonado in Valencia! Should Vettel have kept his 2 left hand side wheels INSIDE the white boundary line, would Button have been so forceful in leaving so little room? A collision may have put 1 or both drivers out of the race, so contact has to be avoided at all costs! Would the FIA have viewed the incident more favourably for Vettel if HE had forced Button to leave 1 cars width by staying hard on the gas to pass Button? That is a possibility, but if contact had been made and 1 or both drivers were then eliminated from the race, it is still point lost for either or both of them! Anyway, FORZA FERRARI, AVANTI FERNANDO!!! #:)
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