Sebastian Vettel says drivers sound “like lawyers” and that “this isn’t the sport I fell in love watching” after the controversial penalty that decided the Canadian Grand Prix.
Vettel and Lewis Hamilton remained separated by around a second when the Ferrari driver slid wide through Turn 4, and was judged to have re-joined unsafely, while forcing Lewis Hamilton to take evasive action.
Vettel railed against the decision over the radio and cut a frustrated figure post-race, which included the gesture of swapping the #1 sign in front of Hamilton’s car for the #2 board.
Canadian GP: Drivers' Standings | Constructors' Standings | Race Result
The four-time World Champion launched a passionate monologue in the post-race press conference as he suggested Formula 1 had lost its way with over-regulation.
“I really love my racing,” said Vettel. “I’m a purist and I really love looking back at the old times and the old cars, the old drivers and it’s an honour to meet your heroes in a way.
“So I really love that. I just wish I was as good as I am doing what I do, but being in their time rather than today.
“It’s not just that decision today but just to hear the wording when people come on the radio that we have now, we have sort of an official language, which I think is wrong.
“I think we should be able to say what we think, but we are not. So in this regard I disagree with the way the sport is now.
“You have all this wording, ‘I gained an advantage, I didn’t gain an advantage, I avoided the condition’, all this – I just think it’s wrong.
“It’s not really what we are doing in the car. It’s racing, it’s common sense.
“Obviously if there’s a hazard on track you slow down. It’s quite unnatural to keep the pedal to the floor and run into the car and say ‘it’s wrong that the car was there’.
“I re-joined and Lewis had to react, I don’t know how close it was, once I looked in the mirror he was sort of there but for me that’s racing and I think the old Formula 1 drivers and the people in the grandstands would agree that’s just part of racing but nowadays it’s just… I don’t like it.
“We all sound a bit like lawyers using an official language. It gives no edge to the people and the sport. It’s not the sport I fell in love with that I grew up watching.
“It obviously hurts me today because it impacts on my race result but I think this is more a bigger criteria. Tomorrow I will just wake up and be disappointed.
“I think Lewis and myself share great respect and we’ve achieved so much in this sport and we are both very blessed to be in that position.
“One win up or one win down I don’t think it’s a game changer for us. I’m not happy about all this complaining you see so many times.”
