Vettel: We're not fighting for the 'kindergarten cup' - the stewards should leave us alone!

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel: We're not fighting for the 'kindergarten cup' - the stewards should leave us alone!

The German wants the drivers to make the calls.

Paul Macdonald

Sunday 30 June 2019 17:15

Sebastian Vettel has passed comment on the Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc incident at the culmination of a thrilling Austrian Grand Prix, demanding that the drivers, rather than the stewards, be allowed to decide the destiny of races.

In a superb battle, Leclerc fought to hold off a flying Verstappen but eventually succumbed to a move up the inside by the Dutchman, though Leclerc was pushed off the track in the process.

Leclerc was heard berating Verstappen on team radio, who went on to victory as the stewards announced they were investigating the decision.

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Vettel, who suffered a damaging five-second penalty at Canada two races ago, said of the stewards: "I haven't seen what happened. If it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair.

"But i'm not a fan of passing on these decisions to people somewhere sat in a chair. I think we are the best to judge, in the car, and it's racing, you know, we're not fighting for the kindergarten's cup.

"I think, we are all adults. Some older, some younger. But they should leave us alone."

Vettel was extremely quick throughout but was thwarted by a bizarre botched pit-stop where his team suffered a radio issue and were not ready, and it proved to be another weekend of what might have been for the four-time world champion.

He said: "Almost is maybe a good word. Yesterday hurt us, with the pace that we had today.

"Otherwise I think we could have had a better race, work better as a team and defend better against the cars in behind. I'm not entirely happy as the team deserved to have two cars, maybe, on the podium. One on the top step."