Vettel’s Overtake: The FIA Responds to Ferrari, for Whom the Matter is Closed
As the FIA officially responded to Ferrari's request for clarification regarding Sebastian Vettel's contentious overtaking at Interlagos, the Italian team acknowledges the answers it received and considers the matter now closed. For its part, Red Bull is pleased, although it claims not to be surprised by how the matter is concluding.
After Stefano Domenicali, director of Scuderia Ferrari, requested on Wednesday that clarifications be provided regarding the alleged overtaking of Sebastian Vettel under a yellow flag at Interlagos, the FIA officially responded to the Italian team—after already expressing via the press on Thursday—that the German’s maneuver did not violate the regulations and that consequently there was no infraction to investigate since Sebastian Vettel had responded to a waving green flag before he proceeded to overtake Jean-Eric Vergne.
On its site, Scuderia Ferrari acknowledges the clarifications provided by the authority and justifies its approach: The request for clarification from the FIA […] was necessitated by the need to shed full light on the circumstances of the maneuver that was revealed a few days after the race, on the Internet. The letter sent to the FIA was in no way a means to question the legality of the race result. We have received tens of thousands of questions regarding this matter from all over the world, and it was our responsibility to delve deeper into this issue by asking the FIA to investigate an incident that could have cast a shadow over the championship in the eyes of all Formula 1 enthusiasts, not just Ferrari fans. And the Maranello firm concludes its statement by indicating that Ferrari duly notes the response sent by the FIA this morning and therefore considers the matter closed.
In any case, this is something to please Red Bull, who were not really worried about the matter: « We are delighted, but not surprised, that the FIA has confirmed there is nothing to be said regarding the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. We are extremely proud of Sebastian Vettel’s incredible achievement and his historic third title, making him the youngest triple Formula 1 world champion, » indeed congratulates the Austrian team on its official website.
