Ferrari have issued a statement with regards the overtaking scandal following the Brazilian Grand Prix after Sebastian Vettel appeared to have overtaken Jean-Eric Vergne under yellow flag conditions.
The Italian team have drawn a line under the incident and now consider it closed following the FIA’s confirmation that the Red Bull driver had passed legally on further analysis of the internet footage.
“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,” read Ferrari’s statement.
“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.”
The governing body issued the following, acknowledging Ferrari’s letter and the incident itself. “The FIA received a letter from Scuderia Ferrari, seeking clarification on Sebastien Vettel’s overtaking manoeuvre 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 manoeuvre 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.”
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