Vettel avoids Bahrain F1 penalty after qualifying

Sebastian Vettel avoided a penalty after being summoned to the FIA Formula 1 stewards for an investigation into driving too slowly during an in lap in Q1 of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver, who qualified in second place behind teammate Charles Leclerc who claimed his maiden F1 pole position, was alleged to have broken F1 rules according to the race director’s instructions for driving too slowly during an in lap towards the end of Q1.

While no issue was reported during qualifying, Vettel met the race stewards at 21:15 local time to discuss the incident.

The stewards confirmed in a bulletin issued around half an hour after meeting Vettel that no further action would be taken, having listened to the Ferrari driver's version of events and reviewed the relevant telemetry.

"The driver stated he was on a push lap and, when coming into turn 1, he heavily flat-spotted both front tyres. He aborted the lap however the car was experiencing severe vibrations (as evidenced by the telemetry tabled in evidence)," the report reads.

"As a result, the driver could not maintain the speed required to meet the requirement to stay below the maximum time specified."

Vettel therefore keeps P2 on the grid for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Additional reporting by Luke Smith.