What if Vettel had got that qualifying penalty?
Twenty-five points for Sebastian Vettel and a DNF for Fernando Alonso changed the complexion of the title battle at Suzuka but, as Tony Dodgins points out, it might have been very different had the stewards made another call on Saturday night
On the tightest of margins do things turn.
Sebastian Vettel may not have looked remotely in danger of losing the Japanese Grand Prix, but on Saturday night he had a close call.
Share Or Save This Story
More from Tony Dodgins
Autosport 70: F1's age-old problems and how to fix them
Best features of 2012: Early signs Kimi would star
2012: F1 as it should be?
The hidden truths of Schumacher's comeback
Celebrating Peter Sauber: F1 survivor
Raikkonen and Lotus: Opinion dividers
Ferrari tactics: Right or wrong?
Can Ferrari find the magic bullet?
Latest news
The plot twist that gave Arrow McLaren’s Ward his first IndyCar win as team principal
Formula E’s new Gen3 Evo car breaks cover
The weekly reality check that has kept MotoGP hype off of Acosta so far in 2024
F2 veteran Ghiotto to make IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing at Barber
Autosport Plus
The F1 hero to zero dividing line that has never been so thin
How Stroll and Magnussen revealed the scale of F1’s racing and rules problems
Did F1's new sprint format work?
Chinese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.