Almost two weeks after the conclusion of the Mexican Grand Prix and the confirmation of the final result, Ferrari has decided to submit a request for the FIA to review Sebastian Vettel’s penalty.
They just can’t seem to let it go. The chaos of the post-race podium saw Vettel promoted to third place after a time penalty was given to Max Verstappen.
Vettel’s angry, sweary mood changed drastically when he was rushed back onto the podum but the four-time champ then lost third place when he picked up a time penalty of his own.
This was after the stewards deemed Vettel had moved under braking while fighting off Daniel Ricciardo at Turn 4 on lap 70, under a fresh directive issued by the FIA on defensive driving ahead of the US GP.
According to Ferrari, “a number of new elements have come to light” regarding the incident and defensive driving, which is why they’ve submitted a request for it to be reviewed once again.
This is despite any possible outcome of a review (if Ferrari’s request is approved) not having any impact whatsoever on the final Mexican GP result, as that is now set in stone.
Here’s the statement from Ferrari:
“Scuderia Ferrari has submitted a request to the stewards of the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix to review their decision to penalize Sebastian Vettel for breach of Article 27.5 of the 2016 F1 Sporting Regulations as a consequence of his driving behaviour in Turn 4 of lap 70.
“This has been the first application of Article 27.5 of the 2016 F1 Sporting Regulations as interpreted on the basis of the Race Director’s notes on “defensive manoeuvres” and effective from the 2016 US Grand Prix.
“Scuderia Ferrari considers that a number of new elements have come to light after the decision was rendered that make the decision reviewable under Article 14.1 of the International Sporting Code.
“Scuderia Ferrari is aware that championship rankings will not change, regardless of the outcome. But in light of its importance as a precedent for the future, and in order to provide clarity in the application of the rules in future events, Scuderia Ferrari believes that the decision should be reconsidered by the stewards.”
In an unusual press conference twist, Charlie Whiting was part of the line-up on Thursday and went over the reasons why penalties were given in Mexico.
But Vettel wasn’t having any of it, saying he still doesn’t agree with the penalty, although he did concede he has to deal with it and move on.