Lewis Hamilton replacement among three drivers investigated at Abu Dhabi GP
Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti has been summoned to the stewards for ‘driving unnecessarily slowly’ at one point during FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 21-year-old was replacing Lewis Hamilton for the first practice session of the weekend.
The Danish driver enjoyed a relatively drama-free incident relative to some of his fellow rookies, taking the chequered flag in 12th place while team-mate George Russell was the fastest man in the field.
However, Vesti did find himself in hot water after the session was over. He was called to the stewards for “allegedly driving unnecessarily slowly”.
Hamilton’s replacement wasn’t the only driver to find himself in trouble with the stewards. Alpine rookie Jack Doohan was also placed under investigation following a near miss with Williams driver Logan Sargeant.
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Doohan was rounding the penultimate corner at full speed with Sargeant trundling along the racing line. With the Alpine car flashing into his mirrors, the Williams driver darted to the inside as they attempted to avoid a collision.
Thankfully Doohan managed to squeeze his Alpine through the gap down the inside as both drivers moved to the same area of the track, although that incident has now seen him summoned to the stewards for “allegedly driving erratically”.
The final driver called to the stewards’ room after FP1 was Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. The Canadian finished the session in P5 but was outshone by team-mate Felipe Drugovich, who ended up in P2.
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Stroll was another summoned due to “allegedly driving unnecessarily slowly” although his breach was a more egregious example. The 25-year-old blocked Isack Hadjar at Turn 6, forcing the Red Bull stand-in onto the run-off area.
However, Doohan and Vesti were both made to wait to find out the outcome of their investigations with the two substitute drivers making the trip across to the Formula 2 paddock for qualifying.
The latter of the pair is in contention for the title heading into the season finale, although with a 25-point deficit to points leader Theo Pourchaire, he’ll likely be forced to settle for P2.
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