Ferrari considers Vettel controversy over pass now closed
Ferrari considers the controversy surrounding Sebastian Vettel's overtaking move of Jean-Eric Vergne in the Brazilian Grand Prix now 'closed', after receiving an official response from the FIA
The Maranello-based team had written to motor racing's governing body asking for clarification on the pass - with on-board footage from Vettel's car appearing to indicate he passed his Toro Rosso rival under yellow flag conditions.
Prior to an FIA clarification that Vettel's pass had been completed after a marshal had waved a green flag, as first revealed by AUTOSPORT, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali wanted answers from the governing body to ensure that nothing untoward had happened.
Click here for AUTOSPORT's exclusive analysis of why Vettel's pass was legal
The FIA responded on Friday morning to explain the situation, and Ferrari is now happy that the issue has been put to rest.
In a statement issued on Friday it said: "Ferrari duly takes note of the reply sent by the FIA this morning and therefore considers the matter now closed."
Ferrari made it clear that it had a duty to its fans to follow up the Vettel controversy after widespread distribution of the Vettel video.
"The request for a clarification from the FIA, regarding Vettel's passing move on Vergne, came about through the need to shed light on the circumstances of the move, which came out on the Internet only a few days after the race," added the Ferrari statement.
"The letter to the FIA was in no way intended to undermine the legality of the race result.
"We received tens of thousands of queries relating to this matter from all over the world and it was incumbent on us to take the matter further, asking the Federation to look into an incident that could have cast a shadow over the championship in the eyes of all Formula 1 enthusiasts, not just Ferrari fans."
The FIA also issued a statement on Friday confirming that it told Ferrari that it was adamant the overtaking move was not in breach of the regulations.
"The FIA received a letter from Scuderia Ferrari, seeking clarification on Sebastian Vettel's overtaking manoeuvre in Sao Paulo on Sunday," it said.
"In the spirit of transparency and goodwill, the FIA wishes to make public the receipt of this letter.
"The Federation also informs it has replied to Scuderia Ferrari, in the same constructive spirit, stating that as the overtaking manoeuvre was not in breach of the regulations, and therefore there was no infringement to investigate, it was not reported to the Stewards by Race Control."
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