Jun.25 Niki Lauda thinks the FIA let Sebastian Vettel escape with a lenient penalty after a first lap crash at Paul Ricard. Vettel and Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas collided at the start of Sunday's French grand prix, and the Ferrari driver was given a 5 second penalty. "Why did Vettel only get five seconds for a huge mistake?" F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman Lauda said. "Five seconds is nothing. It destroyed Valtteri's race. We could have had first and second places," he added. However, FIA race director Charlie Whiting defended the penalty. "The stewards had four options," he revealed. "A 5 second penalty, a 10 second penalty, a drive through...
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