Should Vettel be banned?

[AndyL]

It's not the first lenient penalty we've seen this year. A couple of times we've seen 5-second penalties for offenses that gained the driver more than 5 seconds.

A DQ/black flag would seem like a reasonable response, but it shares the same risk as any other penalty imposed during the race, namely that the driver might retire from the race anyway, and the penalty becomes meaningless.

I think this was a case that should have been left until after the race. Immediate penalties are fine for the common cases of incidents caused by error or overstepping the bounds of fair racing, or technical infringements. But if you're looking at someone for a deliberate act of aggression, that needs more consideration. You need to evaluate the degree of intent, which is a more subtle question than the simple mechanics of who was to blame for a collision.

I'm sure if the stewards had considered this incident in a less hasty manner after the race, a heavier penalty would have been given.