Vettel Rues Lost Hungarian Grand Prix Victory
Sebastian Vettel could barely disguise the disappointment on his face after failing to translate yet another pole position into victory at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The German was at the receiving end of a safety car intervention after a wheel came off Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes to dramatically liven up the proceedings in race many predicted would be a procession given the dearth of overtaking opportunities at the Hungaroring.
When asked if he found a cause for celebration in his third place finish after dominating the proceedings for much of the weekend in Hungary, Vettel replied for sure there were positives, but he felt he should have been able to take the victory. The German put the disappointment to down to negligence on his part and said he had felt convinced the safety car would stay on prowl for a little longer than it did. Vettel deemed the stewards had dished out a rather unreasonably severe penalty for his lapse of judgment regarding the safety car regulations.
Vettel professed himself to be ignorant as to why he had been penalized with a drive through penalty, saying he had not been familiar with the rules. The German put the misfortune down to a loss of radio contact with his team when the safety was out, which made it impossible for the Red Bull crew to remind their driver what the exact regulations were. Vettel said it had not worked for him to have given so much time to team mate Mark Webber to build a lead, as it had ultimately cost him places to Webber’s advantage. The Red Bull catalyst further remarked he had been the faster of the two drivers all weekend apart from the race day when misfortune and poor judgment had conspired to rob him of a highly anticipated victory.
Vettel had not been able to contain his frustration at the steward’s decision to slap him with a drive-through penalty, and he was caught on camera gesturing angrily when the penalty was announced. Vettel said his disappointment was understandable, and he had duly expressed it, elaborating his campaign had been effectively over after the punishment had condemned him to the third spot from first. The man widely touted as baby Schumacher, further remarked that he had displayed impressive pace, but the Hungaroring’s limited overtaking opportunities meant he was left trailing behind Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari. Vettel said he had not been aggressive in his battle with Alonso because he feared he might have gone off track in the attempt and did not wish to hazard the points he already had in the bag.
Although Vettel refused to say the penalty was unjust, he nevertheless insisted he was still in the dark as to whether he had been treated unfairly or not. The German highlighted the incident at the German Grand Prix, where Ferrari were accused of issuing team orders to manufacture Fernando Alonso’s victory over team mate Felipe Massa. Vettel said whereas the Scuderia had been hit with a monetary rebuke, he had been punished with a drive-through penalty!
It was pointed out to Vettel that one of his most serious rivals, Lewis Hamilton, had left Hungary without any points at all and that the race for the drivers’ title remained yet wide open. Vettel responded that in light of current circumstances, it was not difficult for him at all to put the less than smooth Hungarian saga behind him. He said he was already looking ahead to the post-break action, and Hungary for him was already an old story. The German explained it was simply unwise to keep pondering over what could have been, for one could reap nothing from worrying about something that could now not be altered. Vettel said for sure the traditional Formula One break would have been more satisfying had it followed a victorious campaign - especially when he had been within touching distance of the Hungarian Grand Prix winners’ trophy.
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