Vettel's Loss is the FIA's Opportunity

Let's get one thing clear. Vettel did it on purpose.

Hamilton brake-checked him and he reacted. Clear as day, simple and plain.

Is that a terrible decision. Yes. But it's not Vettel's job to police Vettel. It's the FIA's.

Whiting and his team should see this incident as an opportunity. An opportunity to set a precedent, and an opportunity to make up for mistakes of the past.

Remember Mercedes' secret tire test? Remember drivers abusing the 4-wheels over the line rule without punishment? Since 2007's Spygate, the FIA have seemingly lost their ability to make their presence felt. Standing before them now, is their golden ticket back.

Most contested referee decisions in sports are either subjective, or genuinely difficult to determine. This incident in none of those things. We've seen the video, we've seen telemetry (below). Its crystal clear this time.

In any other sport, intentional acts of aggression are severely punished. In F1, the stakes are even higher. Player injuries don't cost millions of dollars to fix, car damages do. Imagine if it was a Sauber on the other end. Extra damages like that can cripple a team.

It's the perfect situation. They can finally crack down the way they were always supposed to. Even better that its a Ferrari, it sends a stronger message that way.

The FIA should give Vettel a 1-race ban.