F1 driver crashes after race ends, rides back to pit on another car

Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari had an incredible drive in the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, going from the back of the grid to a fourth-place finish but after the race ended, he was involved in a big crash with Lance Stroll of Williams.

Vettel is fine and his car looked a lot worse than it actually was, but it’s something you rarely see: drivers finishing a race, then going around for another lap before entering the pit lane, and crashing on that lap.

Vettel’s car absorbed a huge amount of damage in the crash, and now the question is whether or not he will have to change his gearbox or other critical parts for the next race, which could incur a grid-place penalty due to the sport’s rules limiting component changes (a cost-saving measure for teams with less money than the bigger teams).

After the crash, Vettel took his steering wheel off — something that all drivers have to do, as they are not allowed to abandon their steering wheels, which store all kinds of valuable race data.

He then, instead of waiting for the medical car, hitched a ride on the side of the Sauber of Pascal Wehrlein back to the pit lane.

It’s likely that Vettel will get a talking to for choosing to ride back to the pits in that way, and Werhlein may as well, though it’s unlikely any punishments are carried out. The stewards will be looking, however, at the crash between Stroll and Vettel, to determine which driver was at fault, if any.