Williams' driver Bruno Senna of Brazil (19) crashes with Sauber driver Sergio Perez of Mexico as Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany spins during the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Nov. 25. — AP ROME — Formula One's governing body said Thursday that it will explain to Ferrari why it did not penalize Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel for an overtaking maneuver in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. FIA believes there is no case to answer as Ferrari filed an appeal that, if successful, would strip Vettel of the F1 title and give it to Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso. Video footage from Sunday's Brazilian GP appears to show that Vettel passed Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso's while there was a yellow caution light being shown. If a rules breach is proven, Vettel could be hit with a 20-second penalty, which would move him from sixth to eighth place in the race and give Alonso the F1 title by one point. “The incident wasn't reported to stewards in the first place because it didn't seem like there was a need to report it at the time,” Norman Howell, the director of communications for the International Automobile Federation (FIA), told the Associated Press. “Now that Ferrari has sent us a letter asking for an explanation we will give it to them.” Britain's Daily Mail newspaper had earlier claimed that YouTube footage appeared to show Vettel overtaking Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne under yellow flags in early laps of the rain-affected race. One of the videos was taken from a camera lodged on Vettel's car. “Ferrari has asked, via a letter, an explanation from the FIA over VET's pass of VER on lap 4 of the Brazilian GP,” the Italian team said in a Twitter post Thursday. Alonso finished second in the race at Interlagos, but Vettel's sixth place was enough to give him his third straight season title by three points. The 25-year-old German became F1's youngest three-time champion. Should Alonso be awarded the title, he would become a three-time champion. Vettel appeared to be in big trouble when he was bumped shortly after the start of the race and spun. He dropped to last place before he could turn his car around and begin a difficult pursuit. He steadily worked his way up the field despite a slightly damaged car and no radio communication. It was during Vettel's climb back through the field that the alleged illegal overtake of Vergne occurred. When there is a yellow caution flag or light, it signals danger on the track and drivers must slow down and not overtake. If a driver does overtake, he is penalized with a drive-thru while if the race is already finished, he gets a 20-second penalty in the final results. Sunday's race and Vettel's victory had already been overshadowed by claims from Ferrari that Alonso should have been crowned champion, pointing to controversial races in Belgium and Japan to support their argument. Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said that Alonso paid a heavy price for first lap exits in Belgium and Japan where he was shunted out of contention by Lotus duo Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen respectively. The Italian giants had been further aggrieved when Vettel, accused of blocking Alonso in qualifying in Japan before going on to win the race, escaped with just a reprimand. Alonso also insisted his campaign had been undermined at Spa and Suzuka. — Agencies
