Sebastian Vettel will not face any repercussions from his foul-mouthed rant at the end ofFormula 1's Mexican GP, the FIA confirmed yesterday. The statement from the sport's governing body comes in the wake of responsefrom the wider racing community who believe the Ferrari driver should have been punished forhis radio outburst about Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and race director Charlie Whiting.
Foul Language
Vettel was captured during the race lamenting his frustration to his race engineer with foul language being recorded and broadcast to the watching public and teams alike.
The outburst from the four-time world champion came inthe closing stages of the race when an overly enthusiastic Verstappen ran wide at turn one and wasn't askedto give his place back to the Ferrari driver. The pair were scrapping for the final place on the podium.
Verstappen was eventually given a five-second time penalty for the incident, promoting the German into third. Vettel was thenthen given a penalty himself for a incident involving Daniel Ricciardo on the penultimate lap of the race with the Ferrari driver having to settle for fifth.
FIA's ruling
The statement notes that in usual circumstances, the driver would have been punished but due to his sincerity in seeking out the accused, the FIA were willing to let the Ferrari driver off.
At the end of the race Vettel ensured that he seek out Charlie Whiting and apologise for his outburst, while also confirming he would seek out Max Verstappen and also make amends.
The FIA have however confirmed that after any future instances like this, the accused will be disciplined and will have to participate in a court hearing.
It's been a tough season for Ferrari and this has been reflected in recent radio transmissions from Vettel, venting his anger towards strategy and back markers, sparking speculation about his Ferrari future.
Vettel, who hasn't won a race since the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix, is currently fourth in the championship behind Ricciardo and the two Mercedes drivers with only two races left of the season.
