What were you thinking?!

Why did Vettel back up the pack?

  • Had radio issues, didn't get a message from the team to say when the safety car was coming in.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • He slowed down to give someone the finger.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    20

gribbli

Points Scorer
Valued Member
Hey gang, just thought this might be a bit of fun. Bear in mind that pretty much all of these excuses had been given after the race...OK maybe not all but you get the idea.

Personally I have gone for option 3, so used to being at the front this season during the safety car, that he had total brain shut down and acted as he would if he were leading.

If it is supposedly Webber's responsibility to 'back the pack up', wriggle left and right and almost stop in the middle of the track, pray tell why were you doing it Seb? rofl

So your thoughts about it and what you think is who's responsibility on restart. Are the rules correct? etc etc

And of course what your vote was and why.

If you have any other options you can think of, just post them and i'll add them in. Nothing rude please folks, yes Brogan I am looking at you :p
 
In all honesty, I've gone for (despite a tempting finger-related theory) for the expectation that Webber would back off on the last lap; rather than seeing the SC coming in, seeing nothing in the rear mirror and thinking all his Christmases had come at once.

If he was asleep his superlicence should be revoked.
 
Brogan said:
slickskid said:
but what were the pit wall thinking when they said
Alonso.says.he's.faster.than.you!
They didn't say that, did they?

Look, if Massa wins a race this season then Rob Smedley should say F.I.F.T.Y. on the warm down lap [forsure]for sure[/forsure]!

As for Vettel, are we all sure that there wasn't a team order, by the way. A particularly stupid team-order but I don't think Red Bull have been given too many marks for operational genius on a Sunday thus far...
 
I've gone for the radio option (Seb is a team player when it's to his benefit only), but I also think he just forgot the rule, and needs to remember that you follow the car in front. Even if the SC stayed out another lap, Vettel was already miles behind before getting to the last but-one hairpin (the lefthander). Marvellous chumpery.
 
Seb would not have wanted Mark to build a gap so as to pit and rejoin the race still in the lead so I suspect he was instructed to back up the pack to help his team mate and fluffed it. Hang on ... that's way too sensible. No he forgot where he put his finger and by the time he looked up ... :snigger:
 
I went for the falling asleep option. He seemingly just lost concentration and fell way too far back. I don't understand his comments about losing radio contact, or about being confused as to when the saety car was going in; the rule applies at all times behind the SC, not just on the last lap before the restart, and you don't need a radio to see the gap to the car ahead of you (unless you've fallen as far back as Seb did, I suppose).

Also, without wishing to make this thread too serious, were the stewards asleep as well?

Regulation 40.9 states, "
The safety car shall be used at least until the leader is behind it and all remaining cars are lined up behind
him.
Once behind the safety car, the race leader must keep within ten car lengths of it (except under 40.11
below) and all remaining cars must keep the formation as tight as possible."

But wasn't Vettel penalised for 'not keeping within 10 lengths of the Safety Car'? That rule only applies to the leader (on this occasion, Webber). All other drivers, including Seb, were only required to keep the formation as tight as possible.
So, while you can say that he quite clearly fell foul of the latter rule, you could also say that he was actually penalised for the wrong thing. Grounds for appeal?
 
Was it not Webber having some fun, he'd built a little lead coming into the 2nd to last corner, saw that Seb would be unsighted as he went round, and just pushed the accelerator a little more as Seb couldn't see the gap increasing fast to then respond.

I'd not be surprised if Mark Webber knew the rule book a little more than he lets on........
 
Vettel & Webber's behaviour in the post-race room (where they put on caps, watches etc. just before the podium ceremony) was one of my favourite moments of the F1 season so far this year! Vettel genuinely had no idea what he'd done wrong and was close to losing it completely trying to get an explanation out of Herbie Blash. Webber walks past the camera and the massive sigh can be heard by everyone. That sigh said so much!
 
fat_jez said:
Once the safety car comes in, the leader becomes the safety car until racing recommences.

Thanks for that jez, but I got the impression from the TV footage that Vettel was well back from Webber even earlier, while the Safety Car was still leading them round, when he should have been keeping much closer order.
 
Chad Stewarthill said:
Thanks for that jez, but I got the impression from the TV footage that Vettel was well back from Webber even earlier, while the Safety Car was still leading them round, when he should have been keeping much closer order.

Yes he was. My statement refers to the reason for his punishment, although arguably he could also have been punished for not closing up to Webber while the safety car was out, as mentioned by Regulation 40.9 (the bit about keeping the pack tight).
 
I have plumped for the team orders knowing that if it were the case the radio message would be in the public domain by now. But I like the idea that RBR could get caught out for team orders just one week after slating Ferrari for using them. :snigger:

The podium celebrations here in Hungary were as painful to watch as Ferrari's celebrations were last week. Probably more so as at least Felipe had good cause to be miserable and disgusted with his teammate and team. Sebastian's behaviour on the podium was that of a petulant child, his demeanour an embarrassment to all fans and followers of Formula One.
 
fat_jez:

Yes, if you watch the bbc highlights video (not the 90sec one) starting around 5:30 in, Webber follows the Safety Car round turn 13 with Vettel already some way back (I make it around 17 - 20 lengths behind Webber at a rough guess). As the Safty Car pulls off onto the pit entry lane, Webber then crosses the first safety car line and is technically racing again, while Vettel is still exiting turn 13 with Alonso all over his gearbox. There is only actually a very short period when Webber is leading the pack on his own but before crossing the first Safety car line.

Another point, slightly off-topic, is how Hamilton was hampered on the re-start by having Yamamoto, already a lap down (and who was close to being dangerously released in front of Hamilton in the pitlane) between himself and Alonso, so did not have the opportunity to have a good run at him as the Safety car withdrew and racing resumed. It may have been made irrelevant by Hamilton's later retirement, but it was still not good race control in my view.
 
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