Vettel, Magnussen, Alonso and Gutierrez face investigation

2014 Australian Grand Prix

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Sebastian Vettel and Kevin Magnussen may be penalised as stewards are investigating their driving during Q2.

Both drivers are alleged to have failed to slow when yellow flags were waved after Kimi Raikkonen crashed at turn three in the final minute of the session.

Vettel did not progress beyond Q2 but Magnussen did and subsequently qualified fourth. Team mate Jenson Button was eliminated in Q2 and said he’d lost out because he’d backed off for the yellow flag.

Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutierrez are also being investigated. The stewards are examining whether Gutierrez’s car was impeded at turn one during Q1.

2014 Australian Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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26 comments on “Vettel, Magnussen, Alonso and Gutierrez face investigation”

  1. I think they will both be okay, provided the appreciably slowed down at the relevant corner.

    1. Stewards don’t investigate for no reason though. Every time it happens somebody gets penalised unless it is a software glitch like the one caused by the McLaren unit last year which affected several drivers. They should let Magnussen off the hook though and just penalise Vettel because its guaranteed to bring a cheer to that Aussie crowd!

      1. There has been a rule amendment (which Brundle mentioned on Sky) that the ye loo sector times are now at 200m intervals – not the whole timing sectors. So you don’t have to slow your whole sector time (in this case S1), just that 200m section.

      2. Stewards investigate when the sector time doesn’t show slowing down. The rule is to slow down (go off the throttle) at the actual section of the track where it happens, so as long as they did that, they will be cleared, even if they improved their time on all the other corners.

  2. I heard Vettel went off the throttle, but didn’t managed to see Magnusson’s clip.

    1. Same here, Vettel definitely slowed down as they’ve shown the onboard, I hope Magnussen can be cleared too.

  3. As was shown on SkySportsF1 after the race, Vettel saw the yellow flag just as he was next to the car of RAIK. There’s no point in slowing down after he passed RAIK.

  4. They should throw a red flag then.
    A qualifying session where you’re not allowed to go at full speed is about as much use as…double points.

    1. @tomsk Throwing a red flag would’ve given them zero chance of getting a lap in and would’ve finalised the results then and there.

      Keeping it under local yellows allows them to improve, provided the lift enough through the trouble to prove they are obeying the yellows.

      1. It also means people already on their fast lap and past the accident can finish their lap

  5. Wasn’t Vettel well past turn 3 when the crash occured? Or am I mistaken?

    1. That’s what I was thinking as well – in which case the stewards should wisely overlook if he did improve on his best time in that sector.

    2. Nope, he did pass the incident. But the yellow flags came on just before T3, so you could argue he had little time to react anyway.

      1. He will have been going fast in that section just before he came up to the incident, so the only place he could really have lifted off was T4 – which isn’t a very tricky corner anyway hence not very dangerous.

      2. Thanks for the correction. I guess my short term memory is a little shot after the exceptional qualifying session.

    3. No he was right behind RAI – I think the investigation is necessary because Vettel set his personal best in S1 at that time but considering it was drying up and he obviously lifted in that turn, I’m fairly certain he won’t get a penalty.

  6. Vettel could’ve seen it clearly and lifted plenty I think.

    1. Based on what?

      1. They showed on the Sky pad, two turns before the crash, he got a yellow light on his steering wheel

        1. Eh? Did we watch the same footage? Raikkonen crashed at turn three. Vettel got the light on his dashboard while turning in to turn three, not, as you claim, through turn one. He had a couple of hundred metres, if that, in which to lift, and he clearly did.

    2. Mr win or lose
      15th March 2014, 9:29

      Even though he almost collided with Räikkönen’s wreckage, Vettel slowed down quite a bit, which compromised his lap. In the remainder of the lap, he was pushing (too) hard to make up for the lost time. It would be a shame if he were to be punished by the stewards too.

  7. A lot of Vettel fans here, I think for all said and done, if found guilty, should receive a penalty.

    1. The stewards statement cleared Vettel of any wrongdoing:

      “The driver’s explanation supported by the telemetry satisfied the stewards that, under changing track conditions, the driver had slowed sufficiently and was fully in control.”

    2. So wanting justice means you’re a fan? Now there’s some logic.

  8. Magnussen is cleared

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