Former McLaren driver says stewards were consistent on Vettel penalty

Sebastian Vettel's five second penalty for a dangerous re-entry to the track and impeding Lewis Hamilton has split the F1 world, but the Grand Prix Drivers' Association chairman Alex Wurz says that the stewards showed good consisteny, after a similar incident involving Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen at last season's Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen overshot the Casio Triangle chicane, and came back on the track to block Kimi Raikkonen and was given the same penalty as Vettel.

Wurz, a former F1 driver himself for Benetton, McLaren and Williams told BBC Sport: "Of course, if you push it to the limit, one driver makes a mistake, if the mistake is in front of you, you have to react. If you make it by, great, if you don't make it by, missed opportunity. It's the name of the game. It's racing.

"I was of the same opinion when Max Verstappen in Suzuka last year went over the Astroturf - which is a bit more slippery, there is more dust - he came back, he slid to the other side of the track, there is Kimi Raikkonen wanting to go on the outside and they touched. Max got a five-second penalty.

"When you look at this, you say, 'Ah, well the FIA is in this case quite consistent on rejoining the track dangerously regardless of whether it's in your capability to control or not. They have decided it is a five-second penalty'".