Todt forgives Vettel for Baku incident

DECEMBER 1, 2017

Todt forgives Vettel for Baku incident


FIA president Jean Todt says he "forgives" Sebastian Vettel for his actions this year in Baku.

In the heat of their 2017 title battle, the Ferrari driver pulled alongside Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton during a safety car period in Azerbaijan and deliberately crashed into him.

But Todt says it's important to move on.

"You know, I'm very tolerant," the 71-year-old Frenchman is quoted by Auto Bild.

"I do not like people judging behaviour without taking into account the emotions from the cockpit.

"I can relate to that very well, because I have experienced situations like that with Michael Schumacher.

"Can you imagine what happened in Jerez in 1997," Todt recalled, "or in Monaco in 2006 when he did that stupid thing in qualifying?

"People have weaknesses, and when they realise and say 'I should not have done that' then you have to forgive. That's how it was with Sebastian," he added.

 

Well we won't forgive Todt for Halo.

 

Who gives a **** what Todt thinks?

 

LOL post of the day and so true

 

At least he compared vettel to schumi, not to elton. Shows that Todt holds Michael as the best in his mind, and compares Seb to him which will give Seb a little lift too

 

It was on replay the other day. Still don't get what the fuss was all about. A low speed slap.

 

I'm waiting to hear Charlie Whiting forgive Seb.

 

Pretty sure it's Jules Bianchi family and their lawyer we have to thank for the halo.

 

Hail Todt the Merciful.

 

The 'pope' speaks all is in order with the F1 world now....maybe lol

 

HALO would not have saved Jules.

Keeping equipment off the track sidelines would have.

 

I agree. They did file lawsuits didn't they and I think that's what's driving this idiocy.

 

No I think the FIA is more concerned about another tragedy. I don't think Jules' family have much to do about it.

They will be asked "what did you do to prevent this from happening" and if the answer is nothing, then the real problems start.

I think motor racing is on it's way out of existence. 30 years from now I can't see it existing anymore.

 

More like Little Caesar, see?

 

You dirty Rat.

 

Yeah, it was a minor bump, and no damage to either car. Course, it was elton whining on the radio like he’d been smashed into the wall at 200mph and thrown from his seat that started the aggro. Listen to the audio, he’s like a little girl snitching on the boy in class that’s copying her homework. That boy needs to review tape of the times he’s rammed into Rosberg, Massa and others before he starts squealing - those are proper crashes. Vettel barely tapped him

 

Here's the footage of the incident:

So where's the "whining on the radio like he’d been smashed into the wall at 200mph and thrown from his seat..." ?

All I can hear is Hamilton reporting to his team in a calm manner what happened - There's no theatrics or histrionics going on, as you seem to be implying there was! (TBH, I think I would have been a lot more forthright and abusive had I been Hamilton! - There would have been at least one: "WTF man!" for a start!)


Hamilton slowed down to let the safety car get away, in order to create a decent acceleration zone for the restart to fend off Seb (pretty much the standard practice at a rolling re-start)

Seb misjudged what was going on and accelerated into the back of Hamilton, and then thinking Hamilton's actions were a deliberate "brake test", suffered a bout of road rage and decided to take the Law into his own hands in an act of petulance, deliberately driving into Hamilton's car.

The FIA cannot allow any driver to take matters into their on hands - at any level, and to be honest, Seb got away with his deliberate ramming of another car quite lightly - The last driver to deliberately ram his title rival in a race, a certain Michael Schumacher), got disqualified from the season!

(And before we get a whole load of talk about the difference in the speeds involved in both situations - The offence is still the same: Deliberately driving into a rivals car).

You're trying to make Hamilton the villain of this piece of F1 history, but the reality is, Seb was the one in the wrong!

 

Spot on .

 

You know Me well enough to know that I'm not Lewis Hamilton's biggest fan, but the way this whole sorry episode is being portrayed and twisted on here to blame Hamilton, and somehow exonerate Seb, is just wrong!

There was no girly-style crying on the radio from Lewis, nor was there any sort of: "I'm telling on you!" outburst, as has been suggested.

Of the two drivers involved, Seb was the one who was closest to screaming on the radio, whilst Lewis remained calm, and reported to his team what had happened, in an almost "matter of fact" style.

 

Todt worked with Schumacher, not Hamilton. Todt just spoke up from his personal past experiences...

 

Agreed. Only exception....I think it will be sooner.
I've been seein' it and sayin' it for about 20 years now. It's (sorrowfully) happening. The rate of it's decline is accelerating.

 

Listen to the sky feeds, he was banging on about two laps later still, whinging like a little girl

 

The most whining/whinging I'm aware of is the noise from Hamilton haters.

 

hmm gotta agree with that one (although haters might be a touch too strong)

 

Not so sure about that in some cases but I'll go with "detractors" then...