Vettel’s father back in paddock after injury

A long absence from the paddock for Sebastian Vettel’s father Norbert was due to a hand injury.

The world champion’s 53-year-old dad had been missing from the paddock for so long that some suspected his son, Red Bull driver Vettel, had banned him from attending.

"There’s nothing to it," 25-year-old Vettel’s spokeswoman Britta Roeske insisted to the Kolner Express newspaper.

Indeed, this weekend in Monaco, Norbert is back.

Why the long absence? "I had an operation on my right hand," said the Heppenheimer.

"It was a great handicap, since you don’t realise the impact when you can’t use a body part. I felt like I was disabled," he smiled.

On Saturday, his son qualified behind the Mercedes cars.

Norbert Vettel said: "The only thing that matters is who stands with the prince on Sunday."