German victories as well as apologies
THE MOTORSPORT LAP/ It was all about the German MotoGP this past weekend where Repsol Honda ruled the roost, while Vettel’s road rage issue was also finalised
The Sachsenring race circuit in Germany was host of the ninth round of the MotoGP Championship where Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) once again proved his mettle by winning the race ahead of Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech3) in second and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) in third.
This gave the Repsol Honda Team two podium finishes for the weekend, which bodes well for a shot at the Constructors’ Championship should they maintain a similar performance throughout the season.
MOTO2
Meanwhile, in the Moto2 class, Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex) finished in first ahead of Miguel Oliviera (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Francesco Bagnaia (Sky racing Team VR46). Moving to the Moto3 class, Joan Mir (Leopard Racing Honda) proved the man to beat as he finished in first ahead of Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers Honda) in second, while Marco Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate KTM) rounded off the podium.
There was also some DTM (German Touring Car) Championship racing that took place at the Norisring where Maxime Martin (Team RBM BMW M4) romped to a first place finish ahead of Lucas Auer (HWA Mercedes-AMG C63) in second and Edoardo Mortara (HWA Mercedes-AMG C63).
In Formula One news, Sebastian Vettel will not face any further punishment for his part in the controversial coming together with Lewis Hamilton under safety car conditions during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
According to motorsport news feed Crash.net, the FIA met earlier this week to discuss whether the incident — which saw Vettel intentionally clash wheels with Hamilton as they drove behind the safety car — warranted a greater sanction than the stop/go penalty and penalty points enforced during the race.
It has since determined that “sincere apologies” from Vettel aligned with his commitment towards educational activities in motorsport over the next 12 months means the matter should be closed.
Vettel was present at the meeting along with his Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, with the incident reviewed by a panel of FIA deputy president for sport Graham Stoker, FIA general secretary for sport Peter Bayer, FIA Formula One World Championship race director Charlie Whiting and FIA Formula One World Championship deputy race director and FIA safety director Laurent Mekies.
According to the FIA, Vettel extended his sincere apologies to the organisation and the wider motorsport family. He additionally committed to devote personal time over the next 12 months to educational activities across a variety of FIA championships and events, including in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, at a FIA Formula 4 Championship to be defined and at the FIA Stewards’ seminar.
Crucially, due to the incident, FIA president Jean Todt instructed that no road safety activities should be endorsed by Vettel until the end of this year.
MATTER CLOSED
In a statement the FIA said: “The FIA notes this commitment, the personal apology made by Sebastian Vettel and his pledge to make that apology public.
“The FIA also notes that Scuderia Ferrari is aligned with the values and objectives of the FIA. In light of these developments, FIA president Jean Todt has decided on this occasion that the matter should be closed.”
HE COMMITTED TO DEVOTE PERSONAL TIME OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS TO EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ACROSS A VARIETY OF FIA EVENTS