Vettel and Webber escape sanction after their donuts

As at the end of the Indian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel celebrated his victory in Abu Dhabi with some donuts in front of the stands – at the hairpin before the straight – but this time the German driver was not penalized – nor was the Red Bull team – probably because he performed these donuts off the track and because he brought his car back to Parc Fermé as required by the regulations.

The German driver was not the only one to do donuts at the end of the race; in fact, his teammate at Red Bull, Mark Webber, did the same at the same spot as the German and he also escaped without a penalty.

The Red Bull team, and specifically Guillaume Rocquelin, Sebastian Vettel’s engineer, were worried that the German would do as he did in India, and Rocquelin asked him over the radio not to do it: « Just please make sure to bring the car back. Into Parc Fermé. »

But aside from his donuts, Vettel even referenced Kimi Räikkönen’s radio conversation from last year during his victory by responding to the Frenchman: “I’m going to quote Kimi. Yes, yes, yes, I know what I’m doing.” Before Christian Horner told the German: “You’re going to pay for that one.” But in the end, Vettel didn’t have to pay a single cent.

Even though it’s not the best thing to do for the mechanics, Horner believes that these donuts are good for the show: « It’s not ideal for the gearbox or the engine, but it’s good for the drivers to let off some steam and there are only two races left. »