To compound a disappointing day at Spa, Sebastian Vettel has been fined 10,000 euros (just under £8,000) for performing a practice start in the pit lane.
The incident in question came in third and final practice, when Vettel performed his practice start and broke regulations set by the FIA for this weekend. For the safety of primarily team personnel, practice starts were allowed on the grid at the end of sessions - and not in the pits.
The FIA admits that the fine was reduced because Red Bull realised the error of their ways and reported the moment to Race Director Charlie Whiting.
‘In mitigation of the penalty is the fact that the team and driver immediately realised their error and reported it to the race director. The team also reported that the 'lollypop man' was performing this role for the first time,’ states a communique from the stewards.
Vettel, who was eliminated in Q2 qualifying for the second time this season, is elevated to tenth place on the grid, but only because team-mate Mark Webber takes a penalty.
Series
Formula 1
Personalities
Sebastian Vettel
Teams
Red Bull
Other
Get your official Formula 1 tickets at Sportstadium.com
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  F. Alonso | Ferrari | 01:48.542 | 18 |
| 2. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | 01:48.683 | 21 |
| 3. | S. Perez | Sauber | 01:48.850 | 23 |
| 4. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 01:48.863 | 20 |
| 5. | J. Button | McLaren | 01:49.091 | 18 |
| 6. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 01:49.092 | 16 |
| 7. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 01:49.164 | 21 |
| 8. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 01:49.266 | 23 |
| 9. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 01:49.292 | 23 |
| 10. | P. di Resta | Force India | 01:49.382 | 22 |
| Full results | ||||
| Sebastian Vettel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
| More Sebastian Vettel photos | |||
English
Nederlands
Español
Italiano
