Vettel defended by rival for "harsh" penalty

Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly believes Sebastian Vettel's three-place grid drop for the USA Grand Prix and license penalty points is "quite harsh".

Vettel, who needs a huge performance this weekend to keep any slim title hopes alive, has started off disastrously.

The second-placed driver failed to slow down quickly enough during a red flag period in FP1 and was ultimately handed a three-place grid penalty.

Footage showed that the German driver had slowed down considerably through the esses approaching the part of the track, the stewards still thought he was driving too quickly.

"It's quite a harsh penalty, if you've been really careful when you pass in front of the crash and just after you don't pay attention so much and you get a penalty like this," Gasly told Motorsport.com.

"Before, if there's a crash and a red flag you just slow down a lot in the place you had the crash and then after that you drive carefully, and it's not like you need to respect a certain time.

"It's always worked in the past. Now it's quite strict, but at the same time, rules are rules and you need to respect them. It's a shame, especially looking at the situation, still fighting for the championship, and now he gets a penalty; it's not so exciting!"