The FIA has confirmed that it will "further examine" Sebastian Vettel's deliberate swipe at Lewis Hamilton during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and could take further action against the Ferrari driver.
As reported by Motorsport Week on Tuesday, FIA president Jean Todt was said to be unhappy with Vettel's actions and the way in which the stewards handled the situation – handing down a 10-second stop and go penalty – and Todt could therefore prompt a more detailed look into the incident.
That now looks to have happened, with the FIA confirming on Wednesday that it would examine the incident again and make a final decision on whether or not it warrants further action, with an announcement to be made ahead of the Austrian GP next weekend.
"Following the recent incident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in which car #5 (Sebastian Vettel) was involved in a collision with car #44 (Lewis Hamilton), on Monday July 3 the FIA will further examine the causes of the incident in order to evaluate whether further action is necessary," read an FIA note.
"A statement regarding the outcome of this process will be made available before the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix."
What happened?
During a race restart for the second time, Hamilton slowed ahead of Vettel as he is entitled to do, but the German, unaware, ran into the rear of the Mercedes, causing damage to both cars. Vettel accused Hamilton of 'brake testing' him, and in an act of revenge, drove alongside the Briton and turned into him, with the pair making contact for a second time – although no damage was caused this time.
Then what?
Vettel was hit with a 10-second stop and go penalty, which is effectively a 30-second penalty as a driver must enter the pitlane at a set speed limit and wait in their box for the allotted ten seconds. Meanwhile Vettel complained that Hamilton should also be punished for his brake test, though the stewards later cleared Hamilton of any wrongdoing as he remained at a constant speed and telemetry shows he only applied the brakes very gently to create a gap to the safety car ahead.
Why the second investigation?
Many in the paddock thought Vettel's penalty didn't go far enough and it's also believed FIA president Todt was unhappy with the penalty too, given Vettel's past run in with the FIA when he told Charlie Whiting to "f**k off" twice during the Mexican GP last year. Todt warned Vettel that a repeat offence could land him in trouble after he was excused the first time after apologising.
