Vettel handed 10-second penalty, loses podium

Sebastian Vettel has dropped from third place in the Mexican Grand Prix to fifth after the FIA handed him a 10-second time penalty for moving under braking whilst defending from Daniel Ricciardo.

The two men had both gained a place just after the race when Max Verstappen was handed a five-second time penalty for cutting the chicane at Turn 1, gaining an advantage, and not giving the place back to the German, who had been fighting for third with the Dutchman.

This penalty, however, drops Vettel back behind the Dutchman with Ricciardo promoted to third with Verstappen fourth.

Vettel also had two points added to his superlicence. Any driver to accumulate 12 points on their superlicence in a 12-month period rolling will receive a one-race ban, the Ferrari man now has six.

The FIA have stated that this penalty was handed to Vettel on a means of breaching article 27.5, deeming that he made an ‘abnormal change of direction’ that was ‘potentially dangerous’, the same rule introduced at the US Grand Prix in response to Max Verstappen’s defensive manoeuvres.

The statement from the FIA read: “Article 27.5 and the race director’s notes have essentially three criteria that determine a breach: driving in a manner potentially dangerous, an abnormal change of direction and another driver having to take evasive action.

“The video footage, including the close circuit footage, the broadcast vision, both drivers’ on board cameras plus the telemetry show that there was an abnormal change of direction by car five (Vettel) and this was considered to be potentially dangerous in view of the proximity of the wheels of each car.

“The video evidence clearly shows that car three (Ricciardo) had to take evasive action as a result,” it added.

“Accordingly as all three criteria have been met, the driver of car five is guilty of a breach of article 27.5.”

The entire post-race debacle could have been avoided if Verstappen had listened to his race engineer and handed Vettel the position back after having cut the first chicane and held onto third.

The Vettel penalty is just the latest case in the FIA’s inconsistency in handing out penalties, something that needs to change or the discrepancies will drive viewers away from the sport.