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Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has been hit with yet another fine at the Australian Grand Prix. The German broke the pitlane speed limit while rushing to the pit exit to take part in Q1.
The four-time world champion was about to miss out on qualifying in Melbourne after crashing out heavily during the third and final practice session before the event. A collision between Nicholas Latifi and Lance Stroll provoked a red flag, however, which then enabled the English team to mend Vettel's car just in time for Q1. The former Red Bull driver has now been awarded a fine of €600 for his actions in the pitlane, making it his second penalty so far this weekend.
The German received a €5000 fine on Friday for riding a scooter back to the paddock after developing an engine-related issue during FP1. This is the driver's first weekend back in the sport after contracting COVID-19 before Bahrain's season opener, giving him little experience with the 2022 cars. Vettel will now start at the back of the grid in Sunday's race.
Sebastian Vettel claimed he was keen to return to the track in 2022
Having not driven the 2022 Aston Martin AMR-22 under Grand Prix conditions, Sebastian Vettel claimed he is excited to return to the sport post-COVID-19. The driver likened his arrival to that of going to school a little late. The German, however, has had a disappointing weekend so far, having missed out on valuable track time due to an engine-related fault and then a driver error.
The 34-year-old was replaced by Aston Martin’s reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg for the Bahrain GP and Saudi Arabian GP, who failed to score valuable points for the team. Speaking about his excitement at returning to the grid, Vettel said:
“After testing positive and missing the first two races, it feels a bit like arriving late to school, so I’m really keen to get going again. Starting my season in Australia is something I’ve done before, of course, and it’s also great that Formula 1 is returning after a difficult couple of years.”
His teammate Lance Stroll has also had a dismal weekend so far in Australia, having crashed out in FP3. Upon his return to the qualifying session, the driver collided heavily with Nicholas Latifi, provoking a red flag. Both Aston Martin drivers will be starting at the back of the grid, unlikely to score a decent result.
