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| © AP Photo/Luca Bruno |
Sebastian Vettel’s pole position was under threat after he was summoned by the stewards for impeding Fernando Alonso during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday.
In the final shootout, the defending world champion was found impeding the Ferrari at Turn 16 but after examining the evidence the FIA issued a reprimand to the Red Bull driver.
Several drivers had complained about the traffic during the qualifying session, which included an incident between Jean-Eric Vergne and Bruno Senna and even Michael Schumacher, who alleged that his run was affected by Lewis Hamilton.
“I was very lucky, I saw a couple of incidents on the screen but I think we found a good gap, and I needed only one lap, which obviously helps,” Vettel said after claiming pole. “So that was good – it doesn’t always go that way.
“So, it was helping to save tyres, I’m not sure if we’re going to use that one again – but still it’s good to get through without any trouble,” he added.