SEBSTIAN VETTEL blasted the FIA as ‘not very professional’ after being hit with a 10-second penalty at the Imola GP.
Aston Martin broke the rules by failing to fit the German’s tyres before the five-minute pre-race signal but Vettel criticised the timing of the stop and go penalty afterwards.
Vettel has had a nightmare start to his career with iconic British brand Aston Martin.
He crashed in the Bahrain GP in his first race as well as picking up five penalty points.
And despite his confidence going into last weekend’s meet, things didn’t get much better.
He was out-qualified again by team-mate Lance Stroll, who advanced to Q3.
And on race day on Sunday both cars encountered brake issues which forced Vettel into a pit-lane start. That is when the tyre infringement occurred.
But the penalty was only confirmed to him just after a pit-stop that left him 17th.
Vettel eventually retired from the race because of a gearbox issue with two laps left.
He admitted the timing of the penalty wasn’t the decider but still demanded better.
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Speaking after the race, he said: “Obviously the guys tried everything on the grid and they did really well, so they were really alert.
“I think we could have had a better race if the FIA was more alert, because I think we broke a rule – I guess, that’s why we got a penalty – but they didn’t bother until way into the race and by that time the penalty obviously cost a lot more than it would have earlier in the race.
“So that’s not very professional.”
Vettel, who joined Aston Martin for 2021 after leaving Ferrari, added: “We had plenty of issues, not a trouble-free race that we were hoping for. Tough day.”
Stroll picked up the team’s only points by claiming eighth spot with Vettel looking for improvement next time out.
He added: “We need to do a better job in a lot of areas.”
The season continues in Portugal on May 2.
Vettel is planning for life after F1 by studying organic farming.
