Sebastian Vettel has been fined for riding a moped on the track after the end of today’s first practice session.
The Aston Martin driver used a scooter to return to the pits after his car broke down towards the end of the first hour of running. The stewards found this was a violation of the sporting rules and fined him £4,100 (€5,000).
Having spoken to Vettel, the stewards confirmed he intended for a marshal to accompany him on the scooter, but rode off when he did not appear. He used the track to return to the circuit instead of the access roads around it.
“Car five [Vettel] stopped on the circuit due to a mechanical issue,” the stewards explained. “At the end of the session, Vettel sought a way to return to his pit.
“A marshal was at the location with a scooter. Vettel asked if he could drive the scooter in order to return to his pit. The marshal assented.
“Vettel got on the scooter, expecting the marshal to get on behind him. When he didn’t get on, Vettel departed…