
F1 champ Sebastian Vettel fined $5,500 for illegal scooter ride
Fox News
Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has been fined $5,500 for riding a scooter on the Albert Park Circuit during a practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.
The four-time series champion's Aston Martin had suffered a failure midway around the track that caused the session to be red-flagged. He then asked a marshal if he could borrow his scooter to return to the pits and proceeded to ride it on the track with his helmet askew, rather than the service road, much to the delight of fans. He was then summoned to the race director's office for a review of the incident and found to be in violation of F1's track safety rules.
"In driving on the track to his pit, instead of the designated route, VET breached Article 26.7 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations, which prohibits anyone from being on the track in the five-minute period after the end of a session, with the exception of specifically identified personnel, which makes no provision for drivers to have such access unless specifically authorized," the verdict read.