FIA probing Vettel’s Whiting outburst
Sebastian Vettel’s radio outburst against Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting in the Mexican Grand Prix is being looked into by the FIA, Motosport.com has learned.
Photo by: XPB Images
The Ferrari driver was left angry in the closing stages of the Mexico City event when the FIA did not immediately order Max Verstappen to move aside for him after having cut across the track to retain third place.
After initially venting his frustration at Verstappen, Vettel then shifted his focus to Whiting, who was spending his time working out if rules had been broken.
His radio exchange went:
Vettel: “Move! Move for [bleep] sake!”
Vettel: “He’s a [long bleep], that’s what he is.”
Vettel: “I mean, am I the only one or are you not seeing what I’m seeing? He’s just backing me off into Ricciardo [bleep].”
Engineer Riccardo Adami: “Charlie said that…”
Vettel: “Yeah! You know what? Here is the message for Charlie: [bleep] off! Honestly, [bleep] off.”
Disrepute charge
Vettel’s swearing caused considerable controversy, and the four-time World Champion went to see Whiting immediately after the race to apologise.
However, despite there not being an official statement from the FIA on the matter yet, it is understood that the governing body is taking the matter seriously and is looking into it to see if any action needs to be taken.
Should it believe Vettel's behaviour is not acceptable, then a more formal investigation could be triggered to work out if Vettel actually broke any rules.
While the FIA could decide that Vettel’s apology to Whiting was enough, it may elect to take a hardline approach to the matter. It is not impossible that Vettel is charged for the following breaches of the FIA International Sporting Code:
12.1.1.c Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any Competition or to the interests of motor sport generally.
12.1.1.f Any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers.
Penalties for a breach of the rules can include a reprimand, a fine or even suspension from an event.
Vettel’s old Red Bull boss Christian Horner was one of those who said that he would be surprised if Vettel was not sanctioned for what happened.
“In any sport, what you cannot do is give abuse to the referee essentially,” he said. “So, I would be surprised if that went unreprimanded."
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
F1 teams and Pirelli had no warning of "painted" Shanghai track surface
FIA still chasing answers over bizarre Shanghai F1 grass fires
Why F1 2026 worst-case fears could be key to new rules success
Vettel still unsure about 2024 Le Mans debut after Porsche test
Four-time F1 world champion Vettel to test Porsche's Le Mans hypercar
The contrasting fortunes of F1's big-name moves to Ferrari
2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint qualifying results: Lando Norris takes pole
Sainz will have to "survive with what we have" in China F1 sprint
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint qualifying results: Lando Norris takes pole
The Haas F1 updates that have bucked a sprint race trend
IMSA Long Beach: Derani takes pole for Cadillac by 0.009s, then wrecks
IndyCar Long Beach: O’Ward leads Power in opening practice
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst-case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments