Vettel accepts responsibility, avoids FIA punishment

Sebastian Vettel has avoided any additional punishment from the FIA after accepting "full responsibility" for colliding with Lewis Hamilton in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Having run into the back of race leader Hamilton ahead of a Safety Car restart – believing the Mercedes driver had brake tested him – Vettel pulled alongside to remonstrate and then swerved to the right, making contact with his main championship rival. The stewards gave Vettel a 10-second stop-and-go penalty at the time of the incident but the FIA opted to further examine the clash on Monday in Paris.

At the meeting, Vettel "admitted full responsibility" and "extended his sincere apologies to the FIA and the wider motorsport family," with the FIA opting not to further punish the Ferrari driver as a result.

"However, while respecting the Stewards' decision, the FIA remained deeply concerned by the wider implications of the incident, firstly through the impact such behavior may have on fans and young competitors worldwide and secondly due to the damage such behavior may cause to the FIA's image and reputation of the sport," an FIA statement explained.

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The FIA says Vettel "committed to devote personal time over the next 12 months to educations activities across a variety of FIA championships and events," while FIA president Jean Todt said the incident means Vettel should not endorse any of the organization's road safety activities until the end of the year.

However, the FIA statement added that "should there be any repetition of such behavior, the matter would immediately be referred to the FIA International Tribunal for further investigation."

Speaking after the decision was announced, Todt said the onus is on F1 drivers to take responsibility for their actions.

"Top-level sport is an intense environment in which tempers can flare," Todt said. "However, it is the role of top sportsmen to deal with that pressure calmly and to conduct themselves in a manner that not only respect the regulations of the sport but which befits the elevated status they enjoy.

"Sportsmen must be cognizant of the impact their behavior can have on those who look up to them. They are heroes and role models to millions of fans worldwide and must conduct themselves accordingly."

Vettel currently has nine penalty points on his Superlicense and will receive an automatic one-race ban if he reaches 12 points at the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend. Two penalty points will expire before the British Grand Prix on July 16.