2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Hamilton vs Vettel incident

[Restomaniac]

There's also this:
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/F1-h ... ku-923305/

"Like all the other restarts, I slowed down in the same spot. He was obviously sleeping and drove into the back of me. That wasn't, for me, an issue.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-v ... ku-923288/

"It's just not the way to do it. He's done it a couple of times. Afterwards his restart was really good. He surprised me and jumped me, so I don't think it was necessary.

So Hamilton said he did it on the same spot each time and Vettel looks to be confirming this. So Vettel was warned in my opinion he'd slow down there, yet he on 3d restart (I believe?) he suddenly ran into Hamilton because Hamilton supposedly braked dangerously? In my view that's an unreasonable standpoint.

It makes you wonder if Vettel running into the back of Hamilton was his way of telling Hamilton that he won't accept it. Either way how Vettel can scream 'brake test' and ram an opponent twice on the back of it when he knows the score is down right extraordinary and undefendable.

[turbof1]

The whole incident is related to the track layout. As the main strait is so long and the cars a so much faster that the SC the leader must start backing up the pack in the worst possible place or catch it before it enters the pits. I think the VSC should have been used for these incidents to try to avoid the cascade of restart crashes.

"the track made me do it".... nah...

There's an argument for it as this probably would not have happened if the circuit was a lot wider. It's no excuse though, I agree.

[Tom145145]

The whole incident is related to the track layout. As the main strait is so long and the cars a so much faster that the SC the leader must start backing up the pack in the worst possible place or catch it before it enters the pits. I think the VSC should have been used for these incidents to try to avoid the cascade of restart crashes.

"the track made me do it".... nah...

I was making a wider point, it is obviously an issues if you have to break the cycle with a red flag.

[Schuttelberg]

To be honest, it's rather pathetic to see some of the fans defend Vettel. I've seen all the footage I need to and even gone into the post race questions in detail. Let's look at two things here-

1) Vettel is lucky that the authorities are so incompetent. What he did today amounts to a race ban and a black flag! It is not worthy of a 4xWDC! You cannot ram into someone intentionally just because you've lost your temper. This is not Vettel's house.

2) Hamilton dictates the pace BUT, he has been doing this for a while. I know people are going to talk about 'tactics' and stuff like that, but there are certain things you just don't do. He decelerated 40 Km/Hr over there on EXIT! If he does that on the straight, the guy behind still has time and real estate to react.. If the guy behind reacts here, he basically relies on the guy behind him to have it slowed down enough to not run into the back of him!

The funny thing is, Lewis' race result had nothing to do with this incident, but it does leave a sour taste in the mouth of a championship that was looking like a great fight between two great drivers with a lot of respect for one another!

If it's any good, as a Vettel fan I feel sorry for the Hamilton fans. First for his behaviour, more so for his inability to comprehend his madness.

[i70q7m7ghw]

There's also this:
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/F1-h ... ku-923305/

"Like all the other restarts, I slowed down in the same spot. He was obviously sleeping and drove into the back of me. That wasn't, for me, an issue.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-v ... ku-923288/

"It's just not the way to do it. He's done it a couple of times. Afterwards his restart was really good. He surprised me and jumped me, so I don't think it was necessary.

So Hamilton said he did it on the same spot each time and Vettel looks to be confirming this. So Vettel was warned in my opinion he'd slow down there, yet he on 3d restart (I believe?) he suddenly ran into Hamilton because Hamilton supposedly braked dangerously? In my view that's an unreasonable standpoint.

I think Vettel was referring to other races, such as China a few years ago. If he want's to get in to that we only need to look at Fuji 2007 when he ran in to the back of Webber under the SC. In both interviews he was trying to change the topic and wouldn't even acknowledge the second impact, he clearly is trying to deny the second incident.

[turbof1]

I do think there have to clearer rules around what you are allowed to do behind the safety car and how much space you need to have between you and the car in front. In my opinion, what Hamilton did was something he was entitled to and therefore not dangerous, but there's no clear and specific description of what is dangerous or not. Sooner or later something will happen which will be much more in the grey area it is currently.

[iulian_florea]

I am not 100% sure Vettel intended to crash into Lewis.

The comment of the thread. Congratulations.

To me it seemed too stupid of a move to be made in purpose by a driver of his calibre.
David Coulthard also commented live that it may have been unintended. Obviously, not the case after hearing Vettel's post race interview.

BTW, you have missqouted me.

[Jolle]

Today Vettel's "multi 21" dark side came out again. He's a good bloke and sure knows his way round a race car, but sometimes he acts like a spoiled 12 y/o.

Hamilton slowed down, he didn't brake tested him, but played the game of a restart like a good racing driver. Vettel expected him to bolt off the apex and go for it. He didn't. Vettel's mistake.
After that, driving into him again... if that isn't 12 licence points at once, what else it the point of those points??

[Phil]

The whole incident is related to the track layout. As the main strait is so long and the cars a so much faster that the SC the leader must start backing up the pack in the worst possible place or catch it before it enters the pits. I think the VSC should have been used for these incidents to try to avoid the cascade of restart crashes.

Great point. With such a long straight and tow being that effective, even just flooring the throttle 2 seconds later could yield a significant advantage, so i would say that here more than other places would require more emphasis "bunching up" than others. I am actually amazed that on that last safety car restart, Hamilton was able to keep Vettel behind, which IMO shows the necessity for such perhaps, rather dangerous, bunching up.

It's part of the game IMO - and Vettel should have left a little more space. The swipe was distasteful and IMO what ahould have been severly pnalized (Regardless who does it), but i guess it shows under what extreme pressure both these guys were at the time.

[ChrisM40]

It seems Hamilton lost 7kph between corner entry and exit. You dont lose 7kph in these cars by braking, even lightly, you lose a whole hell of a lot more. Even a full lift would lose you more than that, even 25% lift. Vettel simply wasnt paying attention, or miss timed it.

Its not the first time he has done this, and its not the first time he was got all huffy about it either.

[smellybeard]

Not only was Vettels action dangerous, it was disreputable. He could (and should) hear more about it from the FIA.

[LionKing]

It seems Hamilton lost 7kph between corner entry and exit. You dont lose 7kph in these cars by braking, even lightly, you lose a whole hell of a lot more. Even a full lift would lose you more than that, even 25% lift. Vettel simply wasnt paying attention, or miss timed it.

Its not the first time he has done this, and its not the first time he was got all huffy about it either.

Right....He lost more than that, at one point he slowed down to 49 kph.

[Steven]

So, of note:

• Hamilton slowed down from 65 to 50 km/h past the apex. (that's 15km/h, and just a tiny tap on the braking pedal)
• The race leader is allowed to set the pace
• The stewards did not seem to find this a problem at all
• Hamilton checked his mirrors, because that's what they do on restarts, to see when to re-accelerate
• Vettel bumped into Hamilton
• Vettel was unable to stay calm, and felt the need to retaliate
• Vettel purposefully drove aside and then steering into Hamilton. (If you doubt this, watch the onboard footage another 150 times please)

These are the facts. We can discuss on this basis, but denying any if these points is stupid and unacceptable.

Findings from the stewards (Paul Gutjahr, Danny Sullivan, Enzop Spano, Anar Shukurov):

The Stewards examined video evidence which showed that car 5 (VET) drove alongside and then steered into car 44 (HAM). The Stewards decide this manoeuvre was deemed potentially dangerous. This is in breach of article 27.4 of the Sporting Regulations

VET was subsequently handed a 10 second stop-and-go penalty and 3 penalty points on his superlicense.

[basti313]

No, Vettel didn't accelerated stupidly. Even Perez had to brake. Lewis braked where it wasn't suppose to do.

You realize a driver can brake where ever they choose right?

Their is no rule that says where a driver can or can't brake. The only real rule that would apply under a safety car would be if the breaking was considered reckless or dangerous, and the only people who can make that determination are the stewards.

Hmmm....not really. I think we had this discussion already with the last penalty for Ham for driving slow under the SC. Maybe you read the rules again: https://www.formula1.com/en/championshi ... _race.html

My point of view: Going that slow through the second to last corner with a bunched up field behind has quite some humor in it. There is nothing wrong with going slow to get a gap to the SC, but starting putting a gap to the SC right in a corner is ridiculous.

Nevertheless I think not giving a penalty is ok. Same for Vet getting a drive through +10 for bumping a bit the wheels. I think all of this was a nice part of the sausage party today. We saw a nice and nearly complete portfolio of stupid crashing (Bot, Oco, Weh, etc...), disgusting shooeys, stupid moves to loose the win and stupid mechanics through the field (headrest, seat, sticker on the frontwing). What a bunch of wieners...even the last respectable driver, Hulk, crashed out stupidly from a possible podium position.
But the show was good, keep up the Kindergarden!

[NathanOlder]

Here is the video. Facts:

*Hamilton doesn't stop at any point, and his steering wheel seems to indicate constant RPM.
*Vettel is clearly accelerating
*Vettel's steering wheel does appear to turn right in to Hamilton.
[/quote]

Well done mate. Just ignore the vettel fan club, nothing can change it now and vettel has probably just cost himself a chance to drive the mighty merc.