Has Vettel breached code with middle-finger gesture?

[John S]

With post race tirade he may be wrong side of stricter code of conduct.         

Vettel who is normally well regarded seems to have put quite a few peoples backs up with his petulant stance about the incident in Malaysia.   
The video of his gestures is below. Looks like another volunteer for Todt's road safety roadshow will soon be announced. 

The FIA could sanction F1’s reigning back-to-back world champion for his behaviour during the recent Malaysian grand prix.

Before calling backmarker Narain Karthikeyan a "gherkin" and "idiot" in the wake of their collision, Sebastian Vettel was captured by his on-board camera twice displaying his middle-finger to the Indian driver.

"I think he’s highly frustrated because he’s having a tough season," Karthikeyan told the Deccan Chronicle on Wednesday.

"It’s completely unprofessional to blame me for the incident. The derogatory remark only goes to show him in bad light. Just because he has a good car, he can’t call others an idiot."

Reports in Germany, including in the Kolner Express, Bild and Die Welt newspapers, claim that Red Bull driver’s behaviour may have breached the new stricter code of conduct introduced by FIA president Jean Todt. The FIA has been contacted for comment.

"He has breached the code of conduct," former F1 driver Marc Surer told Germany’s Sky television. "You sign it when you get the license and then you have to behave correspondingly". "Any behaviour that hurts other people or the sport is an offense," added the Swiss.

Asked what the penalties might be, Surer explained: "Anything from a warning to a license revocation. In this case I think it was quite understandable and there will be a mild punishment, if there is anything."

Hans-Joachim Stuck, however, is slightly less forgiving. "When you’re overtaking, misunderstandings can occur. I think Vettel needs to learn this.

"With him, the curve was always upwards and now it’s not the case, and he needs to deal with that," the German legend told the DAPD news agency.

As for Vettel’s description of Karthikeyan as a "gherkin", Stuck insisted: "It’s better than ’asshole’."

Vettel’s attack, however, was sustained, with Kleine Zeitung newspaper now quoting the Red Bull driver as having said: "Maybe formula one is not the place to learn how to drive."  - Stuck responded: "If Sebastian had left more space, it would not have happened. It happens sometimes so it’s a racing incident. He (Karthikeyan) didn’t do it on purpose and it always takes two."

The HRT driver hit back by calling Vettel a "bully", and even David Coulthard - a Red Bull team consultant - defended Karthikeyan. "He can’t make his car invisible," the Scot is quoted as saying by the Mirror.

Also defending Karthikeyan was Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg, who told the Indian press this week: "From what I saw, it was not Narain’s fault. "So I don’t really understand why he (Vettel) said all that."



Nextgen-auto.com, Today.

[cosworth151]

The last person I heard call someone else a gherkin was the late Peter Ivers on New Wave Theater back in the early eighties. As for the other, I didn't know that it was possible to drive a race without flipping someone off.

[lkjohnson1950]

Having re-watched the video of the accident, I cannot see how Vettel or the FIA can blame Karthikeyen. He took his line through the corner and never swerved or deviated from it. Vettel moved over on him, and really didn't need to do so, as the track is plenty wide and it's a long run to the next corner. What's the HRT driver supposed to do, run off the track or jam on the brakes to avoid contact? This smacks of the days when no incident was MS' fault in the FIA's eyes. Do we have another "untouchable" now?

[Ian]

OMG, so many Schumacher haters.

[romephius]

I wonder if Vettel would be as colourful about his own stupidity when it ended Webbers race a few years ago under the safety car?  After all it was a stupid and needless act.... oh that's right, he cried in his garage about it.....

I thought webbers response was pure gold that time....

[Ian]

Pure gold alright, 124 carat gold I make it.

[Scott]

Having re-watched the video of the accident, I cannot see how Vettel or the FIA can blame Karthikeyen. He took his line through the corner and never swerved or deviated from it. Vettel moved over on him, and really didn't need to do so, as the track is plenty wide and it's a long run to the next corner. What's the HRT driver supposed to do, run off the track or jam on the brakes to avoid contact? This smacks of the days when no incident was MS' fault in the FIA's eyes. Do we have another "untouchable" now?

[lkjohnson1950]

The first part of this is just the FIA ducking responsibility which is what they do best, but down at the bottom a couple of drivers express an attitude about "backmarkers" that probably would be echoed by Vettel. 

http://www.forumula1.com/2012/f1/f1-news/fia-not-aware-of-penalty-risk-for-obscene-vettel-gesture/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Forumula1-News+%28Forumula1.net+-+F1+News%29

[f1bettings]

Vettel should call himself an idiot, he raced behind Karthikeyan, cut him off and ripped his own tyre himself.  How could this be anybody else's fault.