Ferrari has said that the controversy surrounding Sebastian Vettel's overtake on Jean-Eric Vergne in the Brazilian Grand Prix is now closed after receiving a reply from the
FIA into the matter.
The team had
asked for clarification into the overtake, which at first appeared to show that Vettel had passed the
Toro Rosso driver with yellow flags being displayed.
It then became apparent that the overtake had in fact been legal as a green flag had been displayed which enabled Vettel to make his move for position, with the governing body then responding to
Ferrari over the matter – stating that 'as the overtaking manoeuvre was not in breach of the regulations, and therefore there was no infringement to investigate, it was not reported to the Stewards by Race Control'.
Having received the response it had asked for,
Ferrari said it now felt the matter was closed and said it had only gone to the
FIA as it felt it had a duty to its fans after discussions arose online into the overtake.
“The request for a clarification from the FIA, regarding Vettel's passing move on Vergne, came about through the need to shed light on the circumstances of the move, which came out on the Internet only a few days after the race,” the team said. “The letter to the
FIA was in no way intended to undermine the legality of the race result.
“We received tens of thousands of queries relating to this matter from all over the world and it was incumbent on us to take the matter further, asking the Federation to look into an incident that could have cast a shadow over the championship in the eyes of all
Formula 1 enthusiasts, not just
Ferrari fans.
“Ferrari duly takes note of the reply sent by the
FIA this morning and therefore considers the matter now closed.”
Red Bull meanwhile said it was pleased that the confirmation from the
FIA had ended any suggestions that the title could be at risk.
"We are pleased, but not surprised, that the
FIA has confirmed there is no case to answer regarding the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix," the team said in a short statement.
"We are extremely proud of Sebastian's incredible achievement and his third historic title, which makes him the youngest ever triple world champion."