matthew wrote:
Artur Craft wrote:
jdh wrote:
Trulli's points are spurious. We've already established that the 'what if there was a wall/gravel trap' argument is irrelevant. And Trulli can't have watched the incident very closely if he mentions gaining a slipstream, because that is something Hamilton clearly did not do.
I heard that the rules don't mention "give the position back" which Hamilton did, I heard that the rules says "A driver cannot take advantadge by cutting a chincane", and he definitely did.
am afraid you didnt' hear well then.
the rules say (and i READ not heard) that "During practice and the race, drivers may use only the track and must at all times observe the provisions of the Code relating to driving behaviour on circuits.". that's 30.1 a for you. look it up... its on page 16.
now now, i'm all happy for the FIA to be strict on rules. dont get me wrong. i wouldn't mind that at all. but how come you're strict when you feel like it and lenient when not? that's chaos. furthermore, if they're gonna be strict, which would certainly justify hamiltons penalty, then they need to take a look at each and every driver and hand out a multitude of penalties.
plus there's the very important factor being overlooked that McLaren got clearance TWICE from FIA. forget advantages, forget slipstreams, or momentum. the FIA said its okay then they went running to the stewards. not to mention the crap that happened in GP2 which i feel was even worse. and you can see my post before the race saying that i expect some stupid crap to happen by the stewards after the very bad decisions taken there.
I agree
Some others opinions:
Quote:
Drivers say Hamilton penalty was harsh
By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde Thursday, September 11th 2008, 14:07 GMT
Formula One drivers agreed on Thursday that Lewis Hamilton had taken advantage from jumping a chicane at the Belgian Grand Prix, although some reckon the penalty was perhaps too hard.
"What happened is that he took an advantage by cutting the chicane," said Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who inherited the win after Hamilton was given a 25-second penalty after the race.
"You can ask drivers how many overtaking moves you see there.
"None between the last corner and the first corner, because there is such a small straight there. That is my opinion and it doesn't change."
Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais said rules were rules.
"I think it is very clear, the rules are clear," he said. "Maybe the penalty is very hard but he has made the same mistake twice, he did in Magny-Cours and he did it in Spa.
"I don't really understand why there is such a mess around it, there is a rule book and everyone has to obey the same thing. The penalty is rough but it is up to you to give the position back."
Williams driver Nico Rosberg added: "He did have an advantage because he would not be so close if he had not cut the chicane but the penalty was a bit harsh as it did not have a big result in the end result. But it won't stop us from trying to attack definitely."
Toyota's Jarno Trulli agreed that the penalty may have been too harsh.
"I agree the penalty was quite big but I am not a steward. But it is also clear he got an advantage," he said.
"The rules are very clear, if you cut the chicane you get the advantage you have to drop it and lose advantage, in Lewis' case he should not attack in the first corner that is it.
"This last chicane, they have a lot of run off area they give you more chance to attack because in case of mistake you won't end up in wall or gravel. We have more chance to overtake."
Giancarlo Fisichella added: "I just seen pictures so difficult for me to say if it is right or not what happened. For sure maybe he took a small advantage that is why he had the possibility to overtake him again in braking for Turn One, but obviously 25 seconds penalty was quite a strong penalty."
Quote:
Alonso: Hamilton penalty was deserved
By Edd Straw Thursday, September 11th 2008, 13:21 GMT
Fernando AlonsoDouble world champion Fernando Alonso believes Lewis Hamilton deserved the penalty that cost the McLaren driver victory in the Belgian Grand Prix.
Alonso said he fully supported the FIA stewards' decision to hit Hamilton with a 25-second penalty, which handed victory to Felipe Massa, because he felt there was no doubt he gained an advantage.
"Yes, I totally agree," he said of the stewards' decision. "Lewis had an advantage by doing that. If he did the chicane properly, he would never have crossed the line one metre behind Kimi. You lose five or ten metres and then you cannot overtake in Turn 1.
"We always said we would give back the position, but at the same time as giving back the position you cannot take advantage of what you did one corner before. If you give back the position, take the slipstream and overtake the guy into the next corner you still have an advantage because of what you did.
"These escape roads are just for safety. You need to imagine that before there would have been a wall, and if there is a wall you cannot use that part of the track."
The Spaniard added that his former teammate should have hung back and taken the chance to overtake Raikkonen later in the race.
"There were two or three laps to the end, many more corners to overtake at with the condition of the circuit. It was clear for me that it was not the right moment to overtake. The stewards take their decisions and they have been very strict this year. They are very hard but consistent."
Alonso added that he was not surprised McLaren opted to protest the decision.
"No," he said when asked by autosport.com whether he was surprised about the their appeal. "They did this last year and they always used to do this kind of thing."
Alonso also believes that Hamilton's penalty could have helped him to claim his first win of the season had he opted to pit for wet tyres a lap earlier.
"I think winning the race was possible because Massa won the race at the end and finished nine seconds ahead of Nick Heidfeld. I was quite a bit ahead of Heidfeld - more than nine seconds - so maybe I could have overtaken Massa at that point and then maybe with Lewis's penalty I would have won the race."