Mazepin and Schumacher go free thanks to 'gentleman' Vettel
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Prior to yesterday's qualifying session it was predicted that Q1 might be very busy. In the end it wasn't that bad and it was only Vettel who was held up during his fast lap. While the people who caused this congestion were slow, Vettel remained calm, according to Motorsport-Total.com.
Vettel had to brake hard for the two Haas drivers in his ultimate attempt to reach Q2. Schumacher and Mazepin were overtaking each other and blocked the way for Vettel. Especially Mazepin was furious with Schumacher and scolded him in the paddock afterwards.
Vettel makes friends
Normally, drivers who cause this kind of congestion can count on a grid penalty, but this time that did not happen, partly due to Vettel. The four times world champion went to the race committee in person to complain about Schumacher and Mazepin. According to him there were 'too many cars in a small space' and individual drivers could not be blamed for this.
Vettel's forgiving attitude is much appreciated by Mazepin: "He was a real gentleman with the stewards. By naming the general problem of everyone being on their brakes in the last corner. I personally apologised to him and thanked him for his honesty. I'm very grateful for his attitude in this situation."