FIA does penalise Vettel for impeding Alonso

The FIA has decided to clamp down on slow driving during qualifying for this weekend. To create space for their fast lap the drivers drove very slowly in turn 9 and 10. This caused quite some traffic jams last week and despite the stricter rules, it happened again this Saturday.

This time Fernando Alonso was the biggest victim. He was hampered in his fast lap by Sebastian Vettel and saw a possible top ten ranking slip away. Vettel was given a penalty point on his license and will be put back three places on the starting grid for Sunday's race.

Vettel was in the way of Alonso when he drove in a three-car train before setting a fast lap of his own. Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz, who were in a similar situation, were not penalised for this, but the FIA has concluded that Vettel was apparently more in the way of his rival.