Australian GP 2022, FP 1 and 2 Recap: Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel face FIA investigation as Carlos Sainz handed reprimand
Follow Us
Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll and Lewis Hamilton
Australian GP had been missing from the F1 calendar for more than two years now. But now the wait is over as Albert Park looks set to host the Australian GP in a couple of days’ time. But before that, the audience get to see their favorite drivers in action in Free practice session. Both FP1 and FP2 were full of drama and controversies although the drivers were a little cautious to begin with.
The business was as usual at the front of the grid with both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen trading blows and not letting each other have an inch. But there have been other eye catching events apart from some flawless laps put in by the drivers. Four time world champion Sebastian Vettel got himself into trouble with the stewards was spotted driving around the track on a moped to return to the paddock.
Sebastian Vettel was seen waving to fans as he rode around with his F1 helmet placed on top of his head. He also took his hands off the handlebars of the moped when riding it. As soon as he reached the pits he was made aware of the fact that he was under investigation for entering the track without permission from the field marshal.
The incidents related to Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz and Sebastian grabbed the headlines along with some breathtaking driving
The other incident included the seven time world champion, Lewis Hamilton. The Briton is under investigation for holding up Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in FP2. Lance raised the same issue in FP1 but the stewards decided not to look into the matter.
Another minor incident related to Lance Stroll brought out the Red flag as he lost his wheel wing brow. But the debris was removed quickly from the track and business resumed as usual.
The last incident which raised eyebrows include Ferrari’s Mr. Dependable, Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard was reprimanded was blocking Guanyu Zhou in FP1. Ferrari tried to make him aware of the approaching Alfa Romeo driver but a radio fault didn’t allow the message to reach him.
“Car 55 [Sainz] was on his first lap of the session, having been delayed starting the session,” the stewards explained.
“Sainz admitted that because of his issues getting onto the track. Additionally, there was a problem with his radio volume, which was also noted by the stewards in their review, that prevented him from hearing calls from his team about Zhou’s approach.”
“Sainz took evasive action as soon as he saw Zhou, but it was too late to avoid impeding him as Sainz himself acknowledged.” As reported by racefans.
FP1 and FP2 were full of drama and controversies but also had its share of scintillating driving. This could mean fireworks on race day in a couple of days’ time.
Stay Updated!
Shubham Bajpai
(776 Articles Published)