During the first Friday training session at Albert Park, Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin AMR22 suffered a Mercedes engine failure, with somewhat unusual consequences later on.
The car of the four-time world champion stopped on the third sector of the track, he took a very active part in eliminating the fire that had arisen, and then, following the end of the session, he returned to the pits on a Suzuki scooter borrowed from one of the local marshals.
To the applause of the stands, Sebastian drove along the track, waved his hands to the public, sometimes not holding the steering wheel at all, while the helmet on him was put on incorrectly – shifted up. At the same time, everyone might see that the German racer was smiling broadly, and the problem that had happened might not spoil his mood.
When Vettel got to the team’s pits, the scooter was returned to the marshals, but it soon became known that the rider would face a large fine for several violations at once.
Firstly, he was actually driving without a helmet, and this is already a gross disregard for the rules of the road. Secondly, he did not hold on to the steering wheel, which is extremely unsafe. Thirdly, although the session has already ended, it turned out that Sebastian went to the track without permission. The above is enough for the stewards to investigate this episode.
However, it is possible that Vettel will be able to avoid serious punishment. On the one hand, the regulations clearly state that it is forbidden to enter or leave the track within five minutes following the end of the session. But there is a caveat: this can still be done with the permission of the marshal.
Perhaps this was the same case.
