F1: Ferrari Accepts Vettel Flag Saga Is Over

Formula 1

F1: Ferrari Accepts Vettel Flag Saga Is Over

Overtaking maneuver was not in breach of the regulations...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted November 30, 2012 Balen (BEL)

Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel has been named this year’s SPEED Performer of the Year. (Photo: Getty Images)

Ferrari said today that it accepts the FIA’s explanation regarding Sebastian Vettel’s pass of Jean-Eric Vergne in the Brazilian GP and accepts that the matter is now closed.

Ferrari wrote to the FIA on Wednesday asking for official clarification about the move despite evidence on the internet showing that a green flag was being waved, making the pass legal.

While the team is fully entitled to pursue such a route it might have been wiser to have taken a more low-key approach and accepted the inevitable somewhat earlier, given that the furor of the last few days.

The affair has unfairly cast a shadow over Red Bull’s win, although ultimately Ferrari may have shot itself in the foot in PR terms, having initially accepted defeat on Sunday in a dignified manner.

A Ferrari statement said today: “The request for a clarification from the FIA, regarding Vettel’s passing move on Vergne, came about through the need to shed light on the circumstances of the move, which came out on the Internet only a few days after the race. The letter to the FIA was in no way intended to undermine the legality of the race result.

“We received tens of thousands of queries relating to this matter from all over the world and it was incumbent on us to take the matter further, asking the Federation to look into an incident that could have cast a shadow over the championship in the eyes of all Formula 1 enthusiasts, not just Ferrari fans.

“Ferrari duly takes note of the reply sent by the FIA this morning and therefore considers the matter now closed.”

Meanwhile the FIA said: “The FIA received a letter from Scuderia Ferrari, seeking clarification on Sebastien Vettel’s overtaking maneuver in Sao Paulo on Sunday. In the spirit of transparency and goodwill, the FIA wishes to make public the receipt of this letter.

“The Federation also informs it has replied to Scuderia Ferrari, in the same constructive spirit, stating that as the overtaking maneuver was not in breach of the regulations, and therefore there was no infringement to investigate, it was not reported to the Stewards by Race Control.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.