Hamilton and Perez given grid penalties

2011 Indian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Buddh International Circuit, 2011

Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez have been handed grid penalties for the Indian Grand Prix.

Both drivers will be relegated three places on the grid for Sunday’s race.

The stewards judged both had failed to slow sufficiently when passing double waved yellow flags at the end of the first practice session.

The explanation for the two drivers’ penalties differed slightly. The stewards said Perez, “ignored double waved yellow flags at turn 16 whilst a car was being recovered in close proximity to the track.”

Hamilton’s penalty was for, “ignoring double waved yellow flags at Turn 16 whilst marshalls were in close proximity to the track.”

Both were deemed to have broken appendix H, article 2.4.5.1(b) of the International Sporting Code. This says that under double waved yellow flags a driver must: “Reduce your speed significantly, do not overtake, and be prepared to change direction or stop. There is a hazard wholly or partly blocking the track and/or marshals working on or beside the track.”

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    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    224 comments on “Hamilton and Perez given grid penalties”

    1. Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Is how i just reacted to that headline.

      1. @rob-wilson I don’t think you can argue with the penalties though. If the yellow flags were out and they didn’t back off sufficiently, that’s a straight penalty. Doing so under double waved yellows is more severe.

        As it happens, these are the two drivers who’ve had the most race penalties this year:

        Race penalties

        You think that might make them more circumspect but it seems not.

        1. Whether this penalty is deserved or not, it must be doing hammy’s head in! He can’t seem to take to the track without getting some sort of penalty, i wonder what his reaction was when they told him that, i definitely wouldn’t have wanted to be the one to tell him.

          1. @Rob Wilson – I’m a big Mclaren and Hamilton fan, so when I read the headline initially I felt the same.

            But unfortunately we have all seen how dangerous motorsport is recently, in some tragic circumstances. So the desire to push the boundaries of the regulations and your cars performance for a glory run at the end of FP1, particularly if there were martials near the track, is reckless and pretty pointless as well.

            Another glum weekend to come for Hamilton I imagine.

            1. With the double DRS this should not be a problem.

          2. Haha,Lewis gets the news, runs out into the pitlane ,drops to his knees,rips open his racing suit to show a t-shirt”y always me” then gets another penalty for obstructing the pitlane..haha.. lol come on Lewis u and JB for the win

            1. lol… will pay to see that

        2. Jelle van der Meer (@)
          28th October 2011, 9:21

          Not sure if it was such a clear situation as even the BBC commentators were confused.

          As I was watching the YELLOW disappeared from clock and live timing prior to Hamilton starting the final sector.

          Therefore you can question is a single marshall waving flags compared to central system indicating clean track is not conflicting information.

          THere is no gain at all for a driver not to slow down in practice 1 so do not see Perze nor Hamilton having done this deliberaretly and likely were incorrect advised or confused by conflicting info.

          1. It seems @jelle-van-der-meer, that the biggest trouble for the commetators was, that FOM did not show what happened and the timing screens were inconclusive.

            But if a marshall is waving double yellows, its just short of a red flag. Now that is something any driver should take seriously any time.

          2. @jelle-van-der-meer … It seems to me that if they were confused by conflicted information, the last thing they’d do is speed up.

            I do, however, think the grid penalty is pushing it slightly. I think these are the first ‘3-place’ penalties to be given out since the new Quali system, does anyone know when the last ‘3-place’ penalty was given? I’ve got an imaginary cookie for anyone who answers correctly..

            Of course, I don’t know the answer, but I’m sure someone can look it up for me :P

        3. We need more information, before making a judgement on whether either driver needed to be more circumspect. Most people (myself included) may not have seen anything to do with the incident.

          1.) Sector times on the lap in question, and a comparison to the fastest sectors he did during the session.

          2.) Preferably some video evidence of the incident(s) – was there any conflicting information, as has been suggested by some (marshall waving yellows, onboard system turned green)?

          Obviously the penalty stands either way, but that doesn’t mean we can’t discuss how deserved it was. That can only be done with some decent evidence at our disposal, otherwise it will always degenerate into “Hamilton sucks” vs “Hamiton is persecuted”.

          1. Having now watched it, I’m in a better position to answer myself!

            Was it a penalty?

            Yes, by the letter of the law what Hamilton did broke the rules.

            Can he feel hard done by?

            I think so, having seen the footage. There’s a good chance he never saw the yellow flags, especially as the track light was green at the end of the same straight and the in-car warning had gone.

            If he saw the yellows, then it was a bit stupid. If he didn’t, he was just plain unlucky – his previous penalty count is also irrelevant.

        4. Keith. What about in Aus when MSC continued to fly round under a red flag and didn’t recieve any penalty? Reprimand at most I think, especially for Ham as the electronic Yellows had gone

        5. Wait Keith – Surely button should get a penalty too for overtaking another car whilst in the waved yellow-flagged zone??

          Button blatently broke the rule and then he as usual jumps on the radio to make out that someone was trying to kill him – and then also his buddies in the bbc 5 live crew also started to grovel to johnny herbert to let jenson off.

          He shouldve been investigated and this whole steward inconsistancy thing stinks as usual.

          Also keith why have you not made any mention of the confusion of yellow flags and the green light situation?
          -Its not exactly telling the full story is is?

          Even you & the rules have said it above yourself:
          “…appendix H, article 2.4.5.1(b) of the International Sporting Code. This says that under double waved yellow flags a driver must: “Reduce your speed significantly, do not overtake, and be prepared to change direction or stop”.

          …please note again where it says: “….DO NOT OVERTAKE”!

          …unbelievable how a very few get carried by friends in high places.

          NO consistancies whatsoever!

          1. You did watch P1, right? If Button was going, and I’m making up numbers here, 150mph, the HRT he passed was going 50mph and still slowing down.

            Yes, Button passed the HRT, granted. But the HRT is not the safety car, and short of slamming on the brakes, throwing out an anchor, dragging his feet, and intentionally running into a wall, he wasn’t going to be able to NOT pass in that specific situation.

            I suspect the stewards noticed that.

          2. SupaSix…..this video seems to support your opinion regarding Button, and the confusion with the use of green lights, and yellow flags.

            I also would like to know, why were the double flags even being waved at Lewis, even after Maladanado’s car was removed?

            lhttp://vimeo.com/31262768

      2. On the BBC even the commentators sounded confused. I heard them saying the green light was on even though the double yellows were being waved. I really would like to hear more about this… it just doesn’t seem as cut & dry as it sounds.

        1. 1) The possible cause can be written down to “it’s India”. Everybody warned us about the chaos.
          2) Whenever the yellows pop up somewhere, I’m guessing the guys at the paddock should be well aware of the fact thus delivering the info to the driver stat
          3) Probably that lovely smoke for good old Bob minutes before the practice didn’t go too well for Lewis

    2. This is typical. The stewards must have something against him. He always seems to be the one getting penalties and I’m sick of it.

      Oh, and I’m sure Hamilton won’t be too pleased either.

      1. I am now genuinely starting to think they actually have something against him, before was all fun and games but now it’s getting ridiculous.

        1. I agree, the stewards are clearly pushing their anti-mexican regime on him

        2. You break the rules, you suffer the consequences. Don’t really know why everyone is up in arms about it, stupid mistake from both drivers. A bit of common sense would have told you just to slow down a little. After all,this is FP1, not Q3…

          1. Why are the team escaping criticism? Double waved yellows on the last lap of free practice why the hell wouldn’t you just tell the drivers to box?

          2. LOL if you see a sign than is flashing green and have a guy waving 2 flags in 90′ on the same place, unfair to get a penetly for that. why turn your head to the side to watch if there is a yellow flag if you have a green light in the car and on the track

          3. @f1rank Thank you, some people have sense here..

      2. Guys (@magnificent-geoffrey, @rob-wilson), just read the extra information.

        “ignoring double waved yellow flags at Turn 16 whilst marshalls were in close proximity to the track.”

        is a really serious matter, not just something to disagree on.

        I can fully get its sometimes hard to see a yellow in time to sufficiently slow down. But failing to spot there’s actual marshalls there and double yellows being waved?

        I think its perfectly OK they receive this penalty.

        1. I think the penalty is harsh, Ive looked at this from all the angels I can find and at no point can I see a car or a marshall near the track. Therefore why was the marshall waving double yellows when the track was declared green!!!

          1. That’s besides the point – the flags were being waved, therefore you have to slow down.

            It’s not up to a driver to decide whether they should slow down, the flags are an instruction to do so and they have to obey it.

            1. I agree. Im just saying that maybe the Marshall also has something to answer to here. they can’t just wave their flags for no reason.

              Maybe thats why they got a 3 place penalty instead of the normal 5 place penalty.

            2. Jenson surely passed during waved yellow flags.

      3. Yea, Johnny Herbet has a long standing hatred of Hamilton…

        C’mon! It’s Herbert! He’ll understand the bad luck that Hamilton is going through better than anyone, so if Hamilton got the penalty it was deserved.

        1. @Huron Wait, I’m talking about Perez – he always seems to get penalties!

        2. It looks like Herbert has done Lewis a HUGE favour. If Lewis gets a reprimand instead of a 3 grid penalty it would be His 3rd which carries a bigger grid penalty

      4. Actually, this is probably the most clear cut of all the penalties and reprimands he’s received this season.

        1. @graham228221 He was talking about Perez.

          1. @KeithCollantine and it’s been a long week :(

      5. LOL.

        I was talking about Perez and trying to be satirical, but I don’t think it’s worked!

        I don’t actually think the penality’s unfair, I’m just trying to have a joke at Hamilton’s expense.

        Maybe Keith should delete that comment.

        1. He shouldn’t, it was very funny, especially after the replies. :)

          Silly discussion. I’m not one of those thinking Hamilton is treated differently, but while discussion is sometimes justified, this is simply a no brainer.

      6. Im really sick of it too Geof,But i didnt see the incident because i didnt watch FP1(sleeping) so i cant point fingers although im with you,Really Frustrated!!!

      7. Ha! That joke clearly went over everyones head :P

        1. @Magnificent-Geof should change his avatar to this, now! :P

          1. Oops, caught out by his Twitter name!

      8. @Magnificent-Geoffrey Until I read that last sentence I was convinced someone had hacked your account!

      9. This penalty ruins both’s races – but it is deserved.

    3. When was the last time someone got a 3-place grid penalty? Don’t they usually go for 5?

      1. @supernicebob I think Heidfeld had one at Singapore, possibly in 2008.

        1. I thought it seemed a bit of an unusual number, but it looks like the standard penalty for impeding someone in qualifying.

          Buemi got one at Belgium last year apparently. Seems all the penalties I can find for ignoring yellow flags are 5 places. Consistency still a big issue for stewarding in F1.

        2. Heidfeld got a three place penalty at China later that year also.

      2. I think they should also fine the driver/team for something as dangerous as what’s happen.

        I am struggling with my opinion on this though, if the marshalls were on track and he didn’t lift off then fine I can accept it. But what is a confusing thing for me is why the light wasn’t on his steering wheel (or have I missed something?), showing him that there’s a yellow flag out. If he was in the zone, he could of easily missed yellow flags being shown as he wouldn’t of been keeping an eye out for them with the yellow flag light off.

    4. This is just ridicilous..

      1. Nothing ridiculous about it. Double waved yellows mean you back off, not set the fastest lap.

      2. Exactly. Its just rediculous for any race driver to ignore seeing people working on a car right next to the track and double yellows being waved.

        1. I wonder if he was told the track was clear by the team, as timing showed. Still no excuse.

        2. BasCB….When Hamilton was penalized during his last flying lap,………Malanado’s car was gone, and their were no people working on the car, because both the track workers and Maldanado’ car were gone….gone when Lewis came through.

          http://vimeo.com/31262768

      3. @dam00r Why? You don’t back off when you go through yellow flags, you get a penalty, we all know that.

        So does Hamilton and he’s not complaining about it.

        1. so…tv presenters announce end of yellow flags

          yellow warning lights turn to green

          marshal way off the edge of track, hiding behind a fence waves his flags poorly, facing near vertical

          …and you expect lewis to see it?

          do you think every driver should drive around looking 20 meters away from the track just incase some one chooses to wave a flag around or should they keep their eyes on the track?

          surley its clear the way the marshals are positioned and acting is dangerous…no?

          surley if marshals are going to go close to the track in a non-emergancy situation they should radio race control and yellow flag the session…no?

          1. …and you expect lewis to see it?

            Yes.

            That’s what they’re there for. That’s why they’re bright yellow. That’s why they’ve been using them in motor racing for decades.

            I doubt he could hear the ‘TV presenters’ very well though.

            1. but you have clearly missed the point keith,

              watch it again…is the marshal and flag NOT a long way off track? is the flag NOT hard to see…especially when travelling that fast sitting that low?

              has the session NOT been restarted?

              the yellow lights didn’t cancel them selves did they? the marshals MUST canclled them and green lighted the session

              to be quite frank I am shocked you are just ignoring this keith

              surley marshals on the track when race controll were obviously not aware of it is very dangerous indeed…no?

              sorry if you think im arguing for arguments sake but how can all this be ignored?

              as someone else said…lewis had nothing to gain from this, he didn’t sudenly think i’ll go get a penalty now because im bored driving this slowly past these yellow flags

              clearly he was not aware of it was he

              clearly if he’s not aware of it and neither are race control then it dangerous…no

              lewis getting a penalty or not doesn’t even come into it does it

              the marshals are clearly failing at their job…that’s the story here

            2. has the session NOT been restarted?

              The session had not been stopped at this point.

              I don’t see what’s so hard to understand. There was a yellow flag where the danger zone began and a green light where it ended. Hamilton and Perez failed to slow sufficiently between the two.

              As for “Hamilton had nothing to gain” – of course he did. He wanted to get another quick lap in at the end of the session for testing purposes. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been on the track, would he?

            3. if yellow flags are so great they have been used in motor racing and are always clearly visible…

              why do they now have lights on the steering wheel…which were turned off?

            4. @the-edge To supplement the flags and increase the chance of drivers seeing the warnings. They do not make the flags redundant. That’s why the rules refer to the flags.

            5. There were NO flags when Hamilton came onto that stretch of the track (straight). It was a single yellow just before Hamilton past it and double when he was about level. No as clear cut as I first though. Very poor Marshalling.

              Still a penalty though, as strictly speaking he past a double waved yellow and set his fastest lap.

            6. Hehe, has anyone else noticed that over time, Keith’s replies to comments have become increasingly sarcy? :P

    5. There were yellow flags waving, a penalty is in order. Lewis fan (like myself) or not, those are the rules and that’s that. I really hope this comments section doesn’t go on & on into multiple pages!

    6. Such a **** take! I hope he nails pole tomorrow in Quali just to show he could have

      1. @mcgreski – there were marshalls on the circuit when Hamilton set that time. What would be a more-appropriate response to that?

        Hamilton got off lightly.

        1. only reprimand perhaps?

          1. The stewards have always given grid penalties for driver being too fast under yellow flags. They penalized many drivers at Japan 2009 for the same reason.

          2. To go along the millions of reprimands he already has? Perez gets himself into quite a bit of trouble, too.

          3. Which would have been his 3rd repremand of the season & as a result he’d have got an even bigger penalty.

            The FIA are running a 3 strike rule now, You get 3 repremand’s in a season & you get a (10-spot?) grid penalty, You get a further repremand & you get a 1 race ban.

    7. Lewis keeps getting penalized because he keeps making mistakes. Simple as that.

    8. Rules are rules. It’s fair. If it was Glock and Trulli we would not complain, so the same applies to the rest of the drivers on the grid. Simple as A,B,C.

    9. Shocking. They’ve got something against Hamilton, I’m sure of it. This was only free practice, jesus…

      1. Whether its free practice, qualifying or the race if the stewards are on the track and the flags are being waved then the rules say back off.

      2. Marshalls can end up just as dead in free practice as they would on race day.

      3. In Hungary 2006, Schumacher got a 10 place penalty for passing g under yellows.

        1. Actually Schumacher got two seconds deducted from his beat times in each quali session, and I think he overtook cars under red flag conditions.

          1. Oh, yes, you’re right about that.

      4. They’ve got something against Hamilton

        It is hard to judge this situation about the penalty. Both drivers could have got away with it easily, and im sure some have in the past, but they didn’t.

        However, you don’t just get penalized all the time for being a good boy and obeying the rules. Trust me. If you think you do, then why don’t you try it with some aspect of everyday life and see what happens. To add to that, the more penalties you have the more likely you the center of attention to the stewards.

      5. @dryyoshi

        hey’ve got something against Hamilton, I’m sure of it.

        I’m so bored of hearing this now. I don’t see any reason to believe they’ve got something against Hamilton.

        The majority of his penalties this year have been indisputably deserved, and this is another one.

        I thought maybe he was a bit unlucky in Monaco (in the race), but that’s it. The weaving in Malaysia, forcing Di Resta to take avoiding action in Hungary, hitting Massa in Singapore – these were all pretty clear-cut.

        1. I though the rules prevented you from making more than 1 move to block some one from over taking…nothing about weaving

          lewis was moving OUT of the guys way in malaysia and the other guy kept following him no?

          now scumacher at…was it spa?…that was illegal AND he crowded lewis of the track…penalty? I think not

          sorry if you bored of hearing how the stewards have it in for lewis…maybe you should take it up with them though, cos something sure stinks here

          1. I though the rules prevented you from making more than 1 move to block some one from over taking…nothing about weaving

            More than one move to block is considered weaving.

          2. At Malaysia 2010 with Petrov, his explanation was that he was “breaking the tow”. He wasn’t punished. This year, he weaved to block Alonso and was punished (much like FA being penalised for hitting LH).

            At Monza, Schumacher made the legal onemove, and regained the racing line. No penalty was applied, which was correct, although the FIA have since clarified the rules about leaving room when you regain the racing line.

          3. Regarding Malaysia, Hamilton was specifically told last year not to repeat his weaving.

            But he did it again this year, and he got a penalty. How can anyone possibly have a problem with that?

            What Schumacher did at Monza (not Spa) was not the same. Hamilton deviated from the racing line twice to defend his position, Schumacher did so once. That’s why Hamilton got a penalty and Schumacher didn’t. All of which I explained at the time.

            1. beg your pardon…i did mean MONZA

              and for the record schue didn’t get a penalty cos the stewards denied seeing it

              https://www.racefans.net/2011/09/14/fia-steward-daly-schumacher-penalty/

              your words not mine

            2. @the-edge There are three stewards in the room, not one, plus the race director. It’s by no means a given that Schumacher would have had a penalty under some different circumstances.

              Besides which, this is a red herring as far as the Hamilton argument goes.

              We’re talking about the difference between making two moves away from the racing line versus making one. Schumacher’s driving at Monza was contentious because some felt he did not give Hamilton sufficient room after making one move. But he clearly never made two moves – that was never an issue – and that’s what Hamilton was penalised for in Malaysia.

    10. not happy but thats the rules i suppose they just want ot be the fastest!!

    11. All you Lewis Hamilton fans should be quiet about this penalty.

      If he didn’t slow down enough as EVERY other driver did excluding Perez then thats his fault. The rule is there for a reason.

      Only himself to blame..

      1. EVERY other driver did excluding Perez. Well then thats not EVERY other driver then is it?

        That assumes EVERY other driver was on track and EVERY other driver was going past that area at the time, and EVERY other driver were on a fast lap.

        1. Perez also got a penalty, and there were marshalls very near the track for goodness sake, a penalty for actually speeding up in those conditions is fully deserved for both drivers.
          Why is it so hard for Hamilton fans to accept that he sometimes just makes mistakes?

    12. Why wasn’t Vettel given a penalty 2 weeks ago for ignoring a blatant rule. Seems to me that more drivers are equal than others.

      1. It’s a safety thing – Lewis and Sergio were potentially endangering marshalls

      2. @realstig What would that be then?

        1. Vettel cut a corner in Korea during qualy. This after having been explicitly warned against doing so.

          1. @realstig The stewards investigated it, they concluded no advantage was gained and no breach of the rules occurred.

            There was clearly no safety risk in what he did, unlike what Hamilton and Perez did today.

            1. if no advantage was gained, why did he do it?

            2. …and LH didn’t get any advantage from what he did today

            3. Of course there was an advantage gained, he wouldn’t have made it back to the pits in time to set his final lap if he didn’t cut the course.

            4. That not what the stewards said and the times from qualifying seem to support them.

              @realstig Even if that were true the point is that what Hamilton and Perez did was a clear safety risk. What they are expected to do is specifically written down in the international sporting code.

          2. Advantage or otherwise, Lewis failed to slow down with marshalls in close proximity to the track…

            1. i think @realstig ‘s point was that whether an advantage was gained or not, he did it for a reason

              that reason was because he didn’t think he would have time to get back to the pits to do another lap if he didn’t

              therefore he broke the rules even if he didn’t have to

              not

              he didn’t break the rules cos no advantage was gained

              that is unless you think he just wanted to destroy his tyres, as Brundle pointed out…driving through there was akin to driving over central reservation chevrons

    13. not fair on Perez, he does not deserve this dunno what must be going through his mind… ridiculous penalty.. come on he jus a kid!!!

      1. He’s a professional racing driver at the highest level. Even amateurs competing at the lowest levels of club racing are required to know about yellow flags.

    14. Oh sodding mouth breathers! LEWIS! WILL YOU STOP IT NOW PLEASE? 50% of his bad season has been bad luck, but 50% has definatley been these burst impetuosity. Sometimes the boy does his talent no favours.

      1. Sadly that’s very true. It’s difficult to argue against some of the steward decisions when he’s making needless and dangerous mistakes like this (by the sounds of it). Totally support the penalty, risking stewards lives is too serious.

        1. risking stewards lives is too serious.

          marshals I mean! not suggesting he’ll be taking his McLaren with him into the next meeting

      2. Lewis will be able to make a heap of lemonade with all the lemons he’s been getting lately.

    15. Typical Hamilton and typical Hamilton fans, if he didnt break the rules he wouldnt get the penalties. These flags are there for a reason SAFTEY he has a tribute to simoncelli on his helmet, its about time Hamilton gave a bit of respect to Formula 1, its rules and safety.

      1. Well said. I’m a huge Lewis fan but this is an open & shut case. Problem is that most people are fanatics – their guy us the best and can do no wrong!

      2. Was his helmet not Bob Marley? I thought it was Marley rather than Simoncelli

        1. youre right, my mistake.

      3. @sprks1 It’s Bob Marley, not Marco Simoncelli.

        1. I can accept my mistakes, shame a certain driver cant.

          1. That’s why ur not a driver…..

            1. Maybe, but other top drivers don’t make so many mistakes in the first place.

        2. No woman, No cry Lewis! ko

    16. Anthony Davidson on 5 live sports extra says the light on Hamilton’s dashboard signifying a yellow flag would have been switched off by that point, and that there was still a green light on the track, so any punishment would be harsh on the 2008 world champ. If this is the case maybe harsh although he has received numerous warnings in the last few years so should be cautious. I would love to see the onboard footage to see how clear the flags were as it seems Lewis passed the sector at the end of the incident.

    17. Not the biggest fan of Hamilton, but would still say this penalty was harsh. It was just free practice and no incident occurred.
      In previous races, penalties have been given keeping in mind how much the other driver was hurt due to the offending driver’s actions.
      Eg: Schumi got no penalty for driving into the back of Perez (who wasn’t affected by the crash) whereas Hamilton got one for driving into Felipe (who got a puncture).

      Here, Hamilton’s action did not affect anyone, he shouldn’t have got a penalty.

      1. It would set a dangerous precedent if drivers were not penalised for not slowing down when yellow flags were waved. With marshals working on or near the track it’s simply an unacceptable safety risk for drivers to be pushing their cars. If drivers know that they won’t get punished for ignoring yellow flags, then they will have less reason to slow for them. Surely you can’t be suggesting that we should wait until a marshal is injured or worse, killed, before penalising a driver?

    18. David Livingstone
      28th October 2011, 9:28

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWq8zH5GjA0&feature=related

      This is exactly why you need to slow down dramatically under double waved yellows. To me, this incident is if anything exacerbated by the fact that it was in practice. His head clearly wasn’t in the game; nobody gets points on a friday.

      To anyone that believes that they’re “out to get” Hamilton – just listen to the BBC commentary team. Staunch Hamilton supporters and even they were questioning this at the time.

      Open and shut case of careless driving.

    19. Colin williams
      28th October 2011, 9:29

      I’m at work so haven’t been looking at the lap times. Did Hammy set his fastest third sector time on that final lap. If he did purple times in sectors one and two and then didnt improve his third sector then surly that shows he slowed down but if he purpled the third sector then the penalty is correct.

      1. Colin,
        Just becuase a driver didn’t set their fastest sector time doesn’t mean they slowed down enough for the double waiving yellow. I’ve raced for years, when you see double waving yellow, it’s not a matter of slowing down to 95% pace, but more like 50-70%. A lap where you have this situation automatically becomes a lap you throw away, solely for the safety of the marshalls. These guys aren’t wearing much safety gear… they need to be treated with this utmost respect and care.

    20. Hamilton was unlucky to get a penalty, but also lucky with only getting a 3 place penalty.

      1 Question though Keith: How will this work in the predictions championship? Do we get the points for the person Starting on pole? Or for the person who Qualifies on pole (by that i mean getting the fastest Q3 time and not “starting” on pole) regardless of penalties applied afterwards?

      1. It’s pole sitter, i.e. whoever actually starts on pole position. So definitely not Hamilton, Perez or Petrov!

        1. Thanks for the question @f1george and thanks for the answer @keithcollantine!

        2. You never know, all the other runners could get grid penalties before Sunday morning too!

          1. That’s true, actually, let’s see if we get any more penalties. Though I hope we don’t or it’s going to get as confusing as Suzuka ’09.

          2. interesting…

            when you put a bet on at the bookies you can’t bet on pole position…t is worded ”fastest Q3 lap time”

            1. @keithcollantine If say a mass amount of people say selected Vettel for pole (90% of predictions) but recieved a penalty after qualifying would the pole position point haul be abolished for the weekend or would the minority still get the points.

            2. @formula-1 That’s explained here:

              Who will win the first Indian Grand Prix? Make your predictions (Post any further questions on the Predictions Championship there)

    21. Its interesting that with todays technology, they rely on what time they set in the sector.

      Surely it would be fairer to get the telementry from that moment to judge it someone did not back off.

      Didnt both Button and hamilton get penalised for the same thing in Spain even though their telementry showed they both backed off.

      1. It’s not just whether they backed off, it’s whether they backed of sufficiently. If they go on to set the best time, then it’s pretty hard to argue that they backed off sufficiently.

    22. To all the people who are enraged that Hamilton got a penalty: how would you feel if this infraction had been committed by, say, Narain Karthikeyan? A recent amendment to the FIA sporting code – for all FIA-sanctioned championships – states that double-waved yellow flags will be shown if and when marshalls are on the circuit. When double-waved yellow flags are shown, drivers should slow down and be prepared to stop without warning. Instead, Hamilton (and Perez) set his fastest lap time when those flags were shown. How could the stewards not penalise him for that? Every other driver managed to respect the flags, so why should Hamilton be any different?

    23. Hamilton and Maldonado had different incidents. In Maldonado’s case it happened much earlier no arguments. But in Hamilton’s case, the car had been recovered and he had got the green lights then he suddenly met waved yellows which is rather odd.
      Now I am not saying Lewis doesn’t deserve a penalty, but one driver completely ignored the flags while the car was still unrecovered, the other driver got the all clear green lights with no car on te track then still met yellow flags.

      1. Maldonado didn’t have an incident.

        1. You are absolutely right. I had it in mind that it was Maldonado’s car that was being retrieved and just substituted his name for Perez some how.

    24. Haha,Lewis gets the news, runs out into the pitlane ,drops to his knees,rips open his racing suit to show a t-shirt”y always me” then gets another penalty for obstructing the pitlane..haha.. lol come on Lewis u and JB for the win.. love the Hamilton.haters and supporters, you all make this the best f1 forum on the net.. love.all your.comments.

    25. kenneth Ntulume
      28th October 2011, 10:15

      Its VERY VERY clear, Lewis Hamilton will more likely to be penalized for a mistake, than any other driver on the grid, why????several possibilities…..
      But u cant rule out a form of prejudice……………
      So many mistakes are made, but more often other drivers are likely to get the benefit of doubt, consideration, understanding and kindness.
      Lewis should take no chances, make no mistakes because no favors from stewards. Stop this nonsense that luck is not on his side….

      1. Perez has had almost as many penalties as Hamilton and I don’t see you complaining about those.

        Hamilton clearly deserved a penalty here. And I don’t think there have been many instances this year where he’s got a penalty and not deserved it.

        If you’re going to make accusations of “prejudice” you better have something to back it up, and I doubt you do.

        1. kenneth Ntulume
          28th October 2011, 10:39

          Prejudice is an act that is both overt as well as passive…
          In this case the prejudice towards Hamilton is, not receiving as much understanding and “forgiveness” or favorable investigations, as other drivers that make mistakes or go against rules and get away with it…..

          1. The stewards are prejudiced against Perez, as they gave him a penalty as well. In fact, they are prejudiced against Schumacher as well, as he got a penalty for passing under yellow flags in Hungary, 2006.

            Or maybe passing under yellows is just a punishable offence?

          2. Kenneth – So who are these mystery other drivers who’ve been speeding past double waved yellow flags and getting away with it?

            1. Keith,
              Hamilton’s incident is very different from Perez.
              Perez had his incident about 2mins before Hamilton.
              If a driver receives the all clear, and races out of a corner, he meets a yellow flag at the end of the road, way off his line of vision.
              The FIA should take some responsibility for this also, why show a driver a green light when the very incident that brought out the yellow flags, hasn’t received the all clear.

    26. Question, has this situation popped up in say the last three years?

      Seeing as we had too fairly similar incidents (perez & ham) in one session then one would presume we see this thing occasionally. As such i would expect if the penalty is fair as people suggest that this penalty has been implemented on other prior occasions.

      So, is this the first time this has ever happened? I doubt it, what happened the last time this took place?

    27. Suzuka 2009, Both Rubens & JB got penalties during Q3 I think. Didn’t slow down enough between 130R and Spoon.

    28. why was the light on green at the last corner? and watching it, it seems that
      flags weren’t really waving — hard to see from the TV, it seems halfway from
      being withdrawn.

      1. Because the green light was signaling the end of the yellow flag zone.

        The yellow will be displayed at the marshall point before the point of incident & the green flag at the marshall post at the point where the track is clear.

        The green light was been displayed at the marshall post at the final corner which was the point at which the track was clear.

        1. But the Yellow flags were being waved at the end of the straight where the driver is already braking and from an angle even I with a birds eye view found difficult to locate.
          In waving the yellow flags, I assumed the flags were to be waved before the point of incident, to alert the drive to approach with caution, and not to to be waved at exactly the point of an incident, when a driver has already met whatever it is he should be made aware of.

    29. I haven’t seen it but it does sound deserved for both drivers. Doesn’t matter that much with DRS anyway. We have seen starts become less dramatic and important this season because drivers play the long game.

    30. Rules are there to be obeyed, not flaunted nor ignored, especially where on-track Marshalls are concerned. Lewis took it on the chin with brevity, so should the posters and ‘conspiracy-theorists’. Lewis for the win on Sunday!!

    31. Lewis agrees with the penalty, as does the team. He used DRS in a yellow flag zone and set a fastest lap time. The rules are there for a reason, ie safety of Marshalls, and hence the penalty is correct.

      Sorry but thats the way it is.

      1. half way through the season I would have agreed with you

        Lewis and Mclaren are now too wise to disgree with the stewards

        so that counts for nothing

    32. Lewis is DOTW this weekend for sure.

      1. @bearforce1 For speeding under yellow flags?

        1. Sorry I was being facetious…

    33. I think the rules are stupid. Getting a 3 grid penalty on race for something that happened on friday seems grossly unfair. . They are just ruining the sport.

      1. So drivers should be allowed to break rules on Friday without penalty?

        Ignoring double waved yellows is one of the more serious things you can do as double waved yellows specifically means that marshall’s are over the barriers or on the circuit.

        Ignoring double waved yellows unnecisarily puts marshall’s life’s in danger. Pastor Maldonardo ignored double waved yellows in practice at Monaco in the renault world series one year & ended up hitting a marshall. Believe he got banned from racing at Monaco for a year as a result.

        Jaques Villeneuve was excluded from the 1997 japanese gp as a result of ignoring yellows & several drivers suffered grid penaltys for the same thing at suzuka in 2009.

        hamilton & perez ignored the double waved yellows, broke the regulations & thus got the specified penalty. penaltys for both is completely fair.

        1. “hamilton & perez ignored the double waved yellows, broke the regulations & thus got the specified penalty. penaltys for both is completely fair.”

          Pretty sure they didn’t ignore the yellows, just didn’t slow down _enough_.

          Setting the fastest time half way through first practice is hardly solid proof, though. I’m sure, or, i hope, the stewards looked at telemetry to find out they were going too quick rather than just basing it on them setting PB’s.

          1. “slow down enough…”

            Erm, Lewis did set his fastest lap on that one. No way out of that one really. You do the crime, you do the time!

    34. Why on earth is everyone getting so worked up? If anything should be debated its the fact hat this is probably the most clear cut penalty of the season.

      Apart from a speeding ticket in the pit lane I can’t see how this one could be more clear? Double waved yellows and a best sector/best lap time? Regardless of circumstances, penalty…

      1. I think Hamilton speeding in the pit lane would still be put down to the bias of the stewards

    35. Reading this made me cringe for two reasons. The first reason being how much stick the stewards would get for it! Secondly, how much people would jump to defend Hamilton.

      Fair enough, people support certain drivers and of course there will be an element of bias, but come on people, surely you want your driver to play by the rules?! Where’s the charm in an unfair advantage?

      Sounds like a fair enough penalty to me.

      Makes predicting pole a hell of a lot easier too.

      1. try watching it before commenting…its on freeview chnl 301

        1. @mcmclaren, lol, I think you just proved AndrewTanner’s first point.

        2. I don’t need to. The facts were laid bare. Fastest lap on a circuit with double yellows? No excuse.

          1. @AndreTanner .. It’s not a fastest lap on a circuit with double yellows. its fastest lap on a circuit with conflicting flags. like @mcmclaren said, watch the clip and judge for yourself.

    36. what is the max speed you can do under double yellow flags?? is there any??? or is it just somebody, maybe the marshall himself, that says.. “wow thats fast, thats fast, wwooo hang on, that is just too fast, you scared the life out of me there…
      i do agree that safety should always be put first, and the penalty is right, but maybe people get the feeling there is something weird about this because there are no actual facts. who is it that judges lewis and perez didnt slow down SUFFICIENTLY??

      1. forget my comments. i got the 2 hamilton laps messed up. he set a faster time. i am sorry. watched it again. my mistake

        1. Setting a PB is not in itself proof though, since previous times could have been notably slower, if he was doind race-runs for example. I don’t know. But people need to stop saying ‘he set a faster time so yes punishment is correct’

          If we remember, Button set a faster time than previous laps in a race where there was yellows, and he didnt get punished on the grounds that he was lighter on fuel, therefore going quicker than before, but showed that he slowed down ‘sufficiently’

          So i can only presume Hamilton didnt slow down at all. In which case you can only presume he either didnt see double yellows, or was flat out given green flags but dosnt wanna argue over it, knowing how that usually turns out.

          1. Similarly, Hamilton and Webber talked themselves out of a penalty in Barcelona, where it seemed they had set fast times under yellow. There seems to be a certain amount of discretion and subjectivity to these penalties, probably stemming from the effect of DRS and the new style tires on lap time variation.

            In the end, 3 places seems like an weak slap on the wrist for what is ostensibly a foul of creating danger to marshalls. You get more slots for changing your gear ratios. One can only assume that under the facts here the crime fit the penalty.

      2. who is it that judges lewis and perez didnt slow down sufficiently?

        The stewards.

    37. I am a huge Hamilton fan even to a fault but ignoring yellow flags shouldn’t go unpunished. having said that, something definitely doesn’t add up. Why would he ignore the flags in P1 when he clearly has nothing to gain. Miscommunication between him and then team?

      That’s my bet with my wife gone down the pan.. now i have pay for an expensive meal because Hamiton’s chances of beating Button is slipping away :-(

    38. This will hand RBR the record for most pole positions in a season.

    39. It appears as though most ppl here weren’t following the session or never even watched it based on their comments. At the time of the incident several corners were yellow and also the track status. All the drivers out at that time were obeying the rules. Lewis and Perez were also, but as the corners started to go green as they were cleared, a local yellow remained however, the track status became green. That I believe confused the teams to inform the drivers that the track was green hence causing the drivers to resume. I blame the teams and Lewis wouldn’t say it’s the team’s misleading that led to the penalty. It had nothing to do with the season or his attitude, just a mistake by the teams involved.

    40. Actually my Soft Pauer reported the Jenson had overtaken on the yellow but so far I haven’t heard anything on that.

    41. @keith-collantine I will take that as a ‘YES, I am going to ignore the contradicting flags/lights and how dangerous it is to have marshals on the track when race control are not aware of it’

      its a bit of a cheap shot to pick up on the gramatical error of the session being re-started, I thought someone of your caliber would understand I clearly ment the session had been given the green light and would be more than capable of presenting a argument based on fact not cheap shots

      so…do you really think lewis choose to ignore the flag…or do you think its probable he didn’t see them as they were not clear and the yellow dashboard light had been turned off in error?

      1. I think you’ll find that @keithcollantine works.

      2. true

        breaking the rules is one thing

        not being aware of them due to poor marshalling is an entirely different matter all together

      3. It’s not a contradiction, for reasons I explained.

        Nor was my other remark intended as a “shot” of any kind, merely getting the facts right.

        The facts are Hamilton went past a yellow flag and did not slow down. Whatever was going on with other lights does not excuse that because it says in the rules (as quoted in the article) that when you see double waved yellow flags you must slow down “significantly”.

        You accuse the stewards of having it in for Hamilton, yet you seem not in the least bit interested in Perez getting a penalty for the exact same thing. That’s because it’s not the stewards who are preoccupied with Hamilton – it’s you.

        1. Whatever was going on with other lights does not excuse that because it says in the rules (as quoted in the article) that when you see double waved yellow flags you must slow down “significantly”.

          It was a single yellow (re-put out late and even later the double, he might have already past it by then, not 100% clear from the angle). Not excusing him though… and they have accepted it, Hamilton and Mclaren.

          See comment further down.

        2. but perez didn’t get a penalty for the same thing did he

          perez did his lap whilst the car was still on the track and the LIGHTS were still yellow. by the time lewis went by the lights were turned off

          if were getting personal I think your ignoring my point entierly, I have not even said lewis should not have a penalty, I am just trying to bring a little reason and logic into it and point out if what lewis did was dangerous the marshals are equally to blame but you are just ignoring this part of the argument for some strange reason

          if lewis was of the impression the session was running under double waved yellows he would not have done what he did, after all he has been accused of this before and proved through telemetry he had lifted. infact he had just drove around this very track under yellows for 10 mins and didn’t speed. this time he went flat out – therefore is it not right to assume or suspect or question whether he was aware of the situation or not

          if he was not aware of the situation…why was he not aware? had the lights on his dash been turned off as they were on the tv screen and the live timming screen as seen and said by the tv commentators?

          did the marshals leave the track then come back?

          did they radio the all clear to charlie? did they inform him they was going back on track?

          ALL i am saying is that there is more to this than meets the eye and it deserves some time exploring it

          as I said, race control not being aware of,failing to show yellow light is as big a safety concern as lewis driving past marshals flat out

          it appears from where I am that the stewards have ignored all this and chosen to give lewis a penalty, you would have thought they would have made some sort of reference to ithe light situation in their statement but they ddn’t – strange as it has already been broadcast over the tv just how controversial this decision was going to be and that could have cleared it up

          pre-occupied with lewis? rubbish…I just like to look at facts rather than jump in feet first with my personal opinion

          1. what I should have said is..

            there should not have have been marshals on the track without the yellow lights being on…it very very dangerous as this incident proved

            had the lights been on lewis would not have done it

            the marshals screwed up just as much as lewis and that should be taken into considoration…after all its not as if the flag was next to the track was it…it was some way off

          2. but perez didn’t get a penalty for the same thing did he

            Both got penalties for ignoring double waved yellow flags. As mentioned in the article, there’s a slight difference in the description of the circumstances. But the infraction was the same.

    42. Relax, everyone. Lewis will win the grand prix on Sunday. Unless, of course, the Stewards find him for – what will it be this time, having a picture of a dead musician on his helmet, who knows?

      1. Better than having the memory of a dead marshall

    43. I thought we will see a different Hamilton from Korean,hell no.I think the worst thing he did was he had his DRS wing open under yellow flag according to Steve Slater.

    44. In my opinion, if you break the rules, you break the rules. Especially if the safety of marshals is at risk.

      That said, I think that most peoples problem is that they think that all of Hamilton’s penalties have been done maliciously. No-one is saying that Hamilton did this, or any other penalty this season, deliberately. It was an accident which he takes responsibility for. Fair enough. I know, as an Alonso fan in Britain, that any penalty or argument against your favourite driver is taken very personally. But, at the same time, the plaudits for success are far greater. Hence “most complete driver”, “world’s fastest driver” as soon as either Alonso or Hamilton go on a run of 2 consecutive podiums! Take the rough with the smooth, I fancy Hamilton will qualify 4th and win on Sunday anyway.

      1. Doh, sorry I screwed that up, where is the edit button

        Single Yellow,

        and

        Double yellow and green light

        Still a penalty though.

    45. Actually Keith, if you read the stewards rulings, it wasn’t ‘exactly the same thing’. The car was still being recovered when Perez passed.
      Not to say that Hamilton shouldn’t have the penalty – just that he was a little more unlucky than Perez (who certainly saw no green light).

      1. As I said in the article. Let’s not split hairs.

        1. who’s splitting hairs?

          come on @keithcollantine , if he didn’t see the flags and the lights were green, including the one on his dash and as @BBT pointed out with his amazing picture link

          http://ergouk.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/Ham_pen1.gif

          there may have only been a single yellow flag any way

          surely you have to admit that the decision could atleast be border-line at best…and that that could be a reason for only a 3 place drop?

    46. Hamilton should be banned for at least 2 races. This is just plain stupid of him. He has to calm down. Please don’t give that “pure racing drivrer” bs.
      This is too much. Every second race he’s involved in incident. Most of were totally his fault.
      Stupid. Plain, clean and simple.
      And I like him ( as a driver) :)

      Peace

    47. quick question: should we make our predictions for where they’ll end up PRIOR to the penalties or AFTER they receive them? It’s like to make a difference in Hamilton’s case.

    48. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT-Mhtl-ZmI

      interesting…i’m sure he goes to say i d (idn’t see them) – then quickly changes to i used DRS under waved yellows

      accepts blame? sure – means it? i think not

      poor lewis toeing the line again…good on him

      1. If anybody who should have received a penalty it was Jenson, because he passed under double waved yellow flags, while Maldanado’s car was still on the hook, with workers by it’s side. When Lewis passed by in the same area in which he received his penalty, both Maldanado’s car and the workers are gone.

        http://vimeo.com/31262768

    49. I can’t believe some posters on here are complaining about Hamilton’s penalty and saying it was only practice so he should have been let off.

      If there were mitigating circumstances he wouldn’t have received any penalty or it would have been appealed, but Hamilton himself has accepted the penalty and said he was in the wrong and it was all his own fault.

      http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95731

      It doesn’t matter if it is free practice, qualifying or the race the cars are still going fast and if there are yellow flags it is for a good reason, it is one thing risking your own life but another thing entirely putting other people’s safety at risk.

      I am only surprised it was a three place grid penalty as they usually seem to be at least a five place penalty.

    50. Very clear cut. This is not about someone being out to get Lewis; this is all about the safety of the marshals, nothing more. Coming from a racing/instructing background, when you see a double yellow, you slow down significantly (think ~70% pace – give or take), regardless of whether it’s during practice, qualifying, or the race (a marshall can die just the same in any of those sessions). Further, it is the drivers responsibility to watch for the flags; even if the dash is reading “green”; a waiving flag (esp. combined with a marshal in close proximity to the track) takes precidence. I’ve heard many fellow drivers argue “they just didn’t see a flag” but that’s still no excuse; it doesn’t change the fact that the marshals werew in danger.

      Can we all please stop arguing now.

      1. @snobeck you are correct this is very serious

        is it not therefore of serious concern that

        a/ marshals were allowed on track whilst race control were not either aware of it or were failing to show the correct track conditions to drivers

        b/ the marshals were not showing the correct flags?

        http://ergouk.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/Ham_pen1.gif

        seems like serious breaches of safety on the behalf of FIA…perhaps a penalty is called for…maybe a 50,000,000 fine no?

      2. I originally thought it was clear cut and that was my stance, but I hate it when people don’t look at the facts, I missed the end of FP2 so watched it later I also watched FP1 again when I noticed there were no yellow flags where the car was being recovered.

        As Hamilton approached suddenly a single yellow was half heartedly waved (he was almost on the marshal point when it appeared), when he was level (possibly passed) it became a more frantic double yellow, it is very likely that no driver could have seen that given Hamilton’s track position when it belatedly appeared. That people, is the facts (unless there were double yellows in the preceding corner, although I have reason the believe there were not any)

        It WAS NOT as clear cut as I originally thought, and anyone that says it was clear have not looked at the actual facts, technically he was 100% guilty, which is why they probably didn’t fight the penalty.

        Not clear cut, a failing (not for the first time in a GP being run for the first time) by the marshals and a failing by Hamilton to put himself in such a position. Nothing is won by a fastest lap in free practise, love him or hate him another silly mistake which ever way you look at it.

    51. How something as simple as this can get 187 comments is beyond me.

      Fanboys, accept it. Lewis is not god. Haters, come up with something new for a change, Hamilton wasn’t the only one to break the rules.

      This is the first F1 race after two motorsport deaths. We have been reminded of how much the first priority is to safety. The drivers probably made a mistake, but that’s not good enough anymore (if it was good enough ever). But what I think more than anything is needed is not just these penalties, but a proper look at how drivers are notified of dangers around the track because this keeps happening again and again and again and no amount of penalties ever seems to stop it. This is as much the responsibility of F1 as a whole, Race Control, the teams, etc. as it is to the offending drivers and the weak links must be properly found out.

      1. Iam surprised that a mistake by race control or the marshalls ( logic dictates that one of them were showing the wrong track condition ) only gets 180 something comments, perhaps if Perez hadnt got a penalty we would have all the `lets put He`s head on a stake and march around New Dehli` trolls

        1. I meant ditto to Icthyes

          1. lol, reminds me of race control, but seriously, this opens the can of worms of, if flags have precendence then whats the point of the lights, are they now expecting drivers to spot two different colour indication systems and then decide what to do in the blink of an eye. Hamilton drove through waved yellows and so a penalty is just. But why was the light system and He`s steering wheel showing green.

    52. It’s unfortunate that Lewis decided to accept blame, for a badly called penalty!!!

    53. http://bit.ly/uP2OwL
      Double yellow, and green light barely 50 metres up the road. Not the mention the warning lights on the wheel were gone.

      The FIA have f.cked up, and blamed the driver for it.

      1. Not to mention Vettel wasn’t even reprimanded when he took a shortcut in qualifying 2 weeks ago, despite the fact that the drivers were warned not to take that particular shortcut even when they had spun.

        Your consistency sucks FIA.

    54. Having watched the clip, it is very clear the stewards punished lewis unfairly. Yes drivers have to respect double yellow flags but when the track status is showing green which will obviously be showing in his cockpit as green. Looking at fact it was a right hand corner, it obvious that he would see the flashing green light than the yellow flag flashing at that angle. Race control has to take some responsibility here. This is not about a Hamilton fan trying to put up a defence but surely giving such conflicting singals is just poor. Race control would have been satisfied that the track condition is safe hence the return of the green status.

      1. For all intents and purposes the track was clear and the marshalls were waving double yellows for nothing it seems, cause i’m yet to see a pic or footage with marshalls on the track with Hamilton passing by (at his last lap).

        1. I did think at the time, where`s the marshals?, why was the green given 20ish seconds before the area, why is the marshal flag station the opposite side of the car recovery split barriers. To Me it looked like the Marshals were unsure of the situation, so you see a single then double flag waving as a car rounds the corner `just in case`.

          1. Something definitely doesn’t look right. The FIA needs to clear this up!

    55. Forget hams penalty, what abot Massa`s wibbly wobbly wing, puts the RBR boing boing wing to shame ;-)

    56. I have just watched the first practice highlights and I would like to know why Button wasn’t penalised for passing the HRT under yellow flag conditions?

      1. The car in front of Button slowed down to quickly for him to not overtake, but the laws the law?

        1. Doh `not to overtake`

          1. I must win the award for so many double negatives that dont make sense…….or do they?

    57. After seeing the videos posted on online it seems quite clear to me why the stewards gave Lewis a penalty and not one to Jenson.

      In the case with Jenson and Narain, they’d both slowed down significantly and when approaching to the corner after the incident Narain had backed off to left Jenson through – this can be established by looking at the speeds they were doing in that area and leading into the corner after the incident. It must’ve proved that both had backed off and obeyed the double waved yellows. Where the case exonerates Jenson is that Narain may have backed off to let him through.

      In Lewis’ case he failed to make any attempt to slow down and in fact had his DRS open. In one of the replays it looks as if he clocked a PB during that lap.

      The situation is that Lewis acted carelessly in double waved yellows and Jenson observed the rule by reducing his speed. Narain slowed down to let him through the next corner – and it could also be interpreted by Jenson that perhaps Narain slowed to enter the pits and gave him the right of way.

      Now whether or not you Lewis fans accept this explanation or not is another thing. As Keith said, all these conspiracies about the stewards having it in for Lewis is starting to get a bit boring. You’re losing any sort of credibility that you might already have by making comments like those.

    58. Hey Keith, you must be loving Hamilton. Lots of screw-ups, lots of posts, lots of clicks. Advertisers must be thrilled!

      1. Lewis is the Michael Jackson of F1, freaky. Train wreck you can’t help but want to watch.

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