2018 United States GP: FIA explain Sebastian Vettel penalty. FIA explain Vettel penalty.

Charlie Whiting, the FIA Formula One Race Director, Safety Delegate, Permanent Starter and head of the F1 Technical Department, has been explaining to Sky F1 why Sebastian Vettel was penalised ahead of the 2018 United Grand Prix.

The key point, as explained by Charlie Whiting, is that Scuderia Ferrari German driver Sebastian Vettel failed to slow sufficiently to adhere to the to time he was required to respect in a red-flag period.

“They have to follow a speed that is sent to their dashboard,” Charlie Whiting told Sky F1. “They have to stay positive to that reference lap – ie lower. And Seb didn’t. I have some sympathy because it is quite a big penalty. But the precedent was set and the stewards were inclined to consistency. Seb took nearly 28 seconds to get down to the reference time. Which is a quite a long time. It’s normally under ten.” – FIA race director Charlie Whiting said, as reported by skysports.com ahead of the third free practice session for the United States Grand Prix.