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Update | Vettel fined for leaving drivers' briefing without permission

Update | Vettel fined for leaving drivers' briefing without permission

09-07-2022 17:18 Last update: 17:56
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GPblog.com

Sebastian Vettel has once again got himself into trouble and must report to the stewards. This is not so much to do with an incident during the sprint race in Austria, but everything to do with his alleged behaviour during the drivers' briefing.

The Aston Martin driver must report to the stewards at 6pm for statements he allegedly made during the driver's briefing. The FIA believes he may have caused damage to the governing body by doing so.

Vettel must report to stewards

The FIA official document refers to articles in the regulations which speak of 'any words, deeds or writings which are morally damaging to the FIA, its bodies, members or executive officers, and in general the interests of motorsport and the values it represents.

The incident is said to have taken place after the qualifying session on Friday. It is not clear exactly what statements were involved, but it is not the first time someone has been called to account for a similar incident. Last year Christian Horner was called before the stewards after he criticised a marshal during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix.

Update | Vettel fined for leaving drivers' briefing without permission

The stewards have imposed a conditional fine of €25,000 on Vettel. The reason: he left the drivers' briefing without permission and expressed his frustration with the meeting. "Drivers at this level are role models for every driver around the world and in the opinion of the stewards in this case Vettel did not meet that standard," reads the FIA statement.

Vettel has since spoken to the race director and apologised, after which the stewards decided to impose the fine conditionally.