Former Ferrari chief Ross Brawn has called on one of the Italian team’s warring drivers to follow Lewis Hamilton’s example and accept blame for their collision in Brazil.
Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc have been hauled to Ferrari’s Maranello HQ this week after they crashed out with five laps remaining at Interlagos.
Hamilton admitted he was at fault for his late collision with Red Bull driver Alex Albon – a coming together which saw the Briton demoted from third to seventh, and denied rookie Albon his first career podium.
While Hamilton was penalised by the stewards, no action was taken against the Ferrari drivers, despite Vettel appearing to be more at fault for the collision.
Brawn, 64, spent nine years with the Scuderia, playing a pivotal role in Michael Schumacher winning five consecutive world championships for the Italian team at the turn of the century.
“In the cold light of day, it would be good if one of the Ferrari drivers follow Hamilton’s example and admit culpability, as the champion did regarding his clash with Albon,” said Brawn, now the head of motorsport for Formula One.
“If Ferrari really wants to put an end to Mercedes’ dominance, not only does it need to provide its drivers with a more competitive car next year, it must also ensure that incidents like this one are not repeated.”
Team principal Mattia Binotto will speak to both Vettel and Leclerc this week. He might be forced to revise the team’s rules of engagement, forbidding the pair from fighting on track.
The duo were battling for fourth place in Sunday’s penultimate round of the campaign when they clashed.
Brawn added: “Mattia faces the tough task of getting things back on track. He had to get stuck in and tell the drivers to face up to their responsibilities, which in Maranello always means putting the interests of the team ahead of those of the individual.
“It’s never nice when team-mates knock one another out of a race, even more so when it’s not even a particularly important result that goes begging.”
Provided by Press Association Sports