Sebastian Vettel’s 2022 season debut is off to a rocky star, and Formula One is only through its second free practice for the Australian Grand Prix.
The four-time world champ missed the first two races of the season—Bahrain and Saudi Arabia—due to COVID-19, and Nico Hulkenberg took his place alongside Lance Stroll. Aston Martin has yet to score a point so far this season, and it is questionable whether it will happen this weekend.
Vettel completed 18 laps in the first free practice before smoke started billowing from his car and he lost power. He quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher, trying to prevent extensive damage. Formula One is seeing problems already arising from the worldwide supply chain issues.
In order to get back to the paddock and pit lane, the Aston Martin driver had to wait for the session to conclude, and the way in which he ended up back with his team ended up costing him a thousand euros.
Vettel borrowed a scooter from the marshals, waving to the crowd as he drove back to the pits on the track.
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The stewards investigated the “incident,” which resulted in a 5,000 euro fine.
The stewards wrote in their verdict, per Formula1.com: “At the end of the session, VET sought a way to return to his pit. A marshal was at the location with a scooter. VET asked if he could drive the scooter in order to return to his pit. The marshal asserted.
“VET got on the scooter, expecting the marshal to get on behind him. When he didn’t get on, VET departed alone for the pit, without the prior approval to do so. Meanwhile, the marshal was trying to contact Race Control for instructions.
“In driving on the track to his pit, instead of the designated route, VET breached Article 26.7 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations, which prohibits anyone from being on the track in the five-minute period after the end of a session, with the exception of specifically identified personnel, which makes no provision for drivers to have such access unless specifically authorized.”
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