Twenty-second penalty for Vettel at Hockenheim

Sebastian Vettel’s second place at the 2012 German Grand Prix hung by a thread as race stewards opened an investigation following the German’s off-track overtaking of Jenson Button at the very end of the event. Positioned on the outside of the 2009 world champion McLaren during the hairpin braking, the Red Bull driver went beyond the curb and took advantage to overtake the Briton, who was struggling with his tires.

For the McLaren driver, questioned after the race, there was simply nothing to add: The TV cameras are eloquent. I prefer to talk about the race.

Questioned by Niki Lauda, immediately after the race, the double world champion German defended himself: « I wasn’t sure if he was on the inside or not. The last thing you want to do is make contact. When we were side by side, I tried to give him enough room but it’s difficult to judge. I went wide. We were all struggling with the tires, especially Jenson, which allowed me to overtake him. »

However, following the controversy that marked the last Bahrain Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton overtook Nico Rosberg by going off track, the FIA had clarified the rules in such situations, leaving little doubt regarding a possible penalty for Sebastian Vettel.

Finally, the sanction has been decided, confirmed by our correspondent on site: the reigning double world champion receives a 20-second penalty – equivalent to a Drive Through – which demotes him to fifth place in the race. Jenson Button consequently inherits second place while Kimi Räikkönen returns to the podium and Kamui Kobayashi claims fourth place, equaling the best result of the Japanese driver’s career at a time when his future with Sauber seems uncertain.

The race and world championship standings available on the site will therefore be adjusted accordingly.