Vettel to face F1 stewards over ‘behaviour’ at drivers’ meeting

Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel has been summoned to the stewards relating to his “behaviour at the drivers’ meeting” during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.

Vettel, who is one of the directors of F1’s Grand Prix Drivers Association, is accused of an alleged breach of Article 12.2.1 f) of the International Sporting Code and Article 20.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.

The ISC article in question specifies “any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motorsport and on the values defended by the FIA” as a potential rule breach.

The article of the F1 sporting regulations, meanwhile, simply outlines when “meetings chaired by the race director” are held during a sprint weekend – with Vettel’s alleged offence having come in the Friday evening meeting to be attended by “all drivers and team managers”, often referred to as the drivers’ briefing.

The Race understands that Friday’s driver briefing was the latest in a series of lengthy and animated discussions between the drivers and race direction.

The relationship between drivers and officials has grown increasingly tense as this season has progressed.

There is discontent among the drivers over the consistency of the officiating and a view that the shared race direction with Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas is not working effectively. Wittich is in charge this weekend.

Alonso and Vettel are said to have been particularly outspoken in the Friday meeting.

Vettel will face the stewards, who are comprised of Tim Mayer, Silvia Bellot, Walter Jobst and former F1 driver Enrique Bernoldi, at 18.00 local time.