[lymnCymment]

Is vettel allowed to fall that far back under the SC?

[Andromino]

40.9 Once behind the safety car, the race leader must keep within ten car lengths of it and all remaining cars must keep the formation as tight as possible.

40.11 In order to avoid the likelihood of accidents before the safety car returns to the pits, from the point at which the lights on the car are turned out drivers must proceed at a pace which involves no erratic acceleration or
braking nor any other manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restart. So to answer your question, "maybe".

[lymnCymment]

40.9 The safety car shall be used at least until the leader is behind it and all remaining cars are lined up behind him.
Once behind the safety car, the race leader must keep within ten car lengths of it (except under 40.11 below) and all remaining cars must keep the formation as tight as possible.

40.11 When the clerk of the course decides it is safe to call in the safety car the message "SAFETY CAR IN THIS LAP" will be displayed on the timing monitors and the car's orange lights will be extinguished This will be the signal to the teams and drivers that it will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap.
At this point the first car in line behind the safety car may dictate the pace and, if necessary, fall more than ten car lengths behind it.
In order to avoid the likelihood of accidents before the safety car returns to the pits, from the point at which the lights on the car are turned out drivers must proceed at a pace which involves no erratic acceleration or braking nor any other manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restart.
As the safety car is approaching the pit entry the yellow flags and SC boards will be withdrawn and, other than on the last lap of the race, replaced by waved green flags with green lights at the Line. These will be displayed until the last car crosses the Line.

[Andromino]

Vettel's under investigation!

[EscaCsamas]

Looks like a penalty is coming!

[lymnCymment]

Looks like a penalty is coming!

Pretty clear cut but the Stewards taking their time.

Penalty eventually.

[EscaCsamas]

Drive through.

[lymnCymment]

"Why did I get a drive through?"

Because you broke the rules!

You would think the drivers may know the rules. Us mere fans do!

[snova]

DUH.......

anyway why SC????
Speed never said...is this the nascar kind of deal to make races more interesting?????

Imaginery debris????

[lymnCymment]

DUH.......

anyway why SC????
Speed never said...is this the nascar kind of deal to make races more interesting?????

Imaginery debris????

Big bit of wing on the track.

I think RBR should pay me £100k to talk to their drivers about how to avoid penalties. It would save them millions.

[Arkadiyas]

If Vettel wants to win the WDC he can't make these kind of basic errors. He had the car and the pace to win the race with ease.

Or was it done under instructions from the team?

Perhaps he was hanging back to give Webber a head start on Alonso so that Mark could make it a Red Bull 1-2.

[lymnCymment]

Perhaps he was hanging back to give Webber a head start on Alonso so that Mark could make it a Red Bull 1-2.

Think so but he could have done it easily after the SC came in. Not a lot of intelligence in that team apart from the designers.

[VonErmad4]

40.9 The safety car shall be used at least until the leader is behind it and all remaining cars are lined up behind him.
Once behind the safety car, the race leader must keep within ten car lengths of it (except under 40.11 below) and all remaining cars must keep the formation as tight as possible.

40.11 When the clerk of the course decides it is safe to call in the safety car the message "SAFETY CAR IN THIS LAP" will be displayed on the timing monitors and the car's orange lights will be extinguished This will be the signal to the teams and drivers that it will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap.
At this point the first car in line behind the safety car may dictate the pace and, if necessary, fall more than ten car lengths behind it.
In order to avoid the likelihood of accidents before the safety car returns to the pits, from the point at which the lights on the car are turned out drivers must proceed at a pace which involves no erratic acceleration or braking nor any other manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restart.
As the safety car is approaching the pit entry the yellow flags and SC boards will be withdrawn and, other than on the last lap of the race, replaced by waved green flags with green lights at the Line. These will be displayed until the last car crosses the Line.

Looks like the rules do not specify any distance for the cars following the lead car. Strange decision today.

[lymnCymment]

Looks like the rules do not specify any distance for the cars following the lead car. Strange decision today.

I suggest running 100m behind Webber constituted as not quite being as tight as possible

[VonErmad4]

I suggest running 100m behind Webber constituted as not quite being as tight as possible

As tight as possible is a stupid and not quantifiable requirement.
What if someone decided to keep in the gearbox of the car in front and run into it when the one in front brakes? Wouldn't that be because he tried to follow the stupid rules?!

[anolbom]

I was under the impression that the rule was perfectly clear.

[werkeeque]

How do you measure 10 car lengths from a screen?

[loginptsa]

How do you measure 10 car lengths from a screen?

Vettel was half the pit straight behind Webber. I'm pretty sure that's more than 10 car lengths.

Was it the team's call? They told Vettel to keep his mouth shut as he was finishing the race. Looks like we might get two uncomfortable post-race press conferences in a row.

[EscaCsamas]

Vettel looking like a petulent child on the podium!

[dfuzioniag]

I was under the impression that the rule was perfectly clear.

me too.

Vettel has only himself to blame
even his initial pit entry was suspect in my book