Sebastian Vettel F1 frustration 'a bit too much'

Vettel's frustration boiled over when Max Verstappen refused to give up third after going off track in defence of position during the closing stages of the Mexico City F1 race.

The German swore in a series of messages to his team, including one directed at FIA Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting, before team boss Maurizio Arrivabene instructed him to calm down over the radio.

Vettel and Ricciardo banged wheels when battling for fourth in the closing stages, with the former being handed a 10-second penalty for moving under braking on the approach to Turn 4.

"Seb gets a bit frustrated but it's probably been a bit more uncharacteristic this year," said Ricciardo, whose promotion to third place in Mexico sealed his third-place finish in the drivers' standings.

"It's probably been a bit too much.

Vettel can't understand fuss over radio anger

"He has shown in the past he can be a bit emotional but this year it seems to be a bit more.

"He's obviously a bit frustrated by how the season has gone.

"He probably thought maybe Ferrari would have the chance to fight Mercedes and it hasn't worked like that."

Ricciardo conceded it is easy to get frustrated in the heat of battle but he said drivers need to be more controlled with what they say on team radio.

"There is a lot which was heat of the moment and you have to be a bit lenient with it," he said.

"In the moment, it is easy to just press that radio button and start saying a whole lot of things but we know it can get broadcast.

"Trust me I would say twice as much but a lot of the time I do wait, maybe say a few things to myself and then maybe press the radio button.

"If your instinct is to press the radio button and start blurting a whole load of stuff, you have to be a bit more sensible than that.

"You don't need to broadcast it all, you can swear in your helmet and then speak your mind maybe a bit more relaxed a few moments later."