Sebastian Vettel was confused by his reprimand for absence on the time of national anthem ahead of Japanese Grand Prix, calling the FIA’s decision “a bit of a joke” and he was surprised when heard – reprimanded for anthem absence.

The German’s absence was comprehensible given the commotion around his car on the starting grid – but at that time, Vettel left the grid for a toilet break while as the Italian team’s mechanics hurried to fix a spark plug problem with the clock ticking.

The non-driving reprimand for the rules breach, as opposed to one handed out for something that happened on the track, was Vettel’s first of the season.

Coninue Reading on ThisIsF1.com