View Full Version : [F1] Monaco GP
Early start, early thread...
Practice 1: Thu 09:00-10:30
Practice 2: Thu 13:00-14:30
Practice 3: Sat 10:00-11:00
Qualifying: Sat 13:00-14:00
The Race: Sun 13:00-15:00
Should be an interesting qualifying session here at least, after attempts to get the qualifying format changed as a one-off failed - and at the moment, heavy rain showers are forecast for both Saturday and Sunday - not that means too much.
The Bear
12-05-2010, 22:09
It'll be interesting to see how many laps the back markers ruin in Q1.
I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think it'll be as much trouble as people have suggested. People will just go out for more laps.
It'd be quite a surprise (assuming no rain) if any of the six new cars get through, and that leaves one. It just means one potential surprise drop in Q1 - and really, any of the top three teams *should* be safe, barring something unexpected.
Best moment of practice - Massa slowing down in front of Heikki as he was trying to get space ahead of him for his next lap - Heikki having none of it, and making a move and passing him in the Lotus :lol:
Alonso smashes his car up in practice 3 and is out of qualifying. Such a shame ;)
It just means one potential surprise drop in Q1 - and really, any of the top three teams *should* be safe, barring something unexpected.
Alonso smashes his car up in practice 3 and is out of qualifying.
Should be fairly easy in Q1 now.
belgarion_v
15-05-2010, 16:06
I just watched qualifying again to see the car that Masa claims braked in front of him when he braked in front of Button.
Seems the invisible man was driving an invisible car :shrug:
Vince
Boring race as ever...Alonso taking 3 laps to overtake a Virgin Racing car shows how hard it is to overtake.
Sammy709Sony930
16-05-2010, 12:54
These steering wheels cost around £10K we here and Rubens lobs his out after his crash and it gets crushed by Lewis!:nuts:
Lewis has brake issues!! Already!
I just watched qualifying again to see the car that Masa claims braked in front of him when he braked in front of Button.
Seems the invisible man was driving an invisible car :shrug:
Vince
I thought that as well, surely the stewards have investigated though?
Fat Bloke
16-05-2010, 13:09
Must exciting part of the race involves a drain cover! Says it all really.....
Sammy709Sony930
16-05-2010, 13:14
Where are the cuts to the hot chicks in bikinis?
Mandrill
16-05-2010, 13:21
Must exciting part of the race involves a drain cover! Says it all really.....
It is a tough challenging circuit ..but god knows the races are generally boring.
Red Bulls dominating again is ominous for the rest of the season
Sammy709Sony930
16-05-2010, 13:49
Race to end under the SC, sums it up well I'd say.
Still no sign of any hot chick:shrug:
Fat Bloke
16-05-2010, 13:52
Race to end under the SC, sums it up well I'd say.
Agree. Yawn. But didn't really expect anything else.
Sammy709Sony930
16-05-2010, 13:54
Go schumi!!
:lol: @ Schumi at the end. He hasn't changed a bit :D
downhillbiker
16-05-2010, 14:08
Great move by Schumacher at the end - although whether it'll stick is another thing entirely...
Sammy709Sony930
16-05-2010, 14:08
Schumi disqualified by the looks:razz:
The Bear
16-05-2010, 14:11
He shouldn't be. The race DIDN'T finish under the safety car though so overtaking is then allowed.
Surely?
I wouldn't jump to any conclusions yet - but strange they don't know the rules properly, although seems an odd change to make for this season.
He shouldn't be. The race DIDN'T finish under the safety car though so overtaking is then allowed.
Surely?According to BBC a little later, the rule was changed for this season, for the last lap.
EDIT: also, Barrichello should be penalised for throwing out steering wheel onto the track- a car ran over it, for goodness sake.
U40.13U If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking.Rather confusing though - if they said 'safety car in this lap', I'd say that should mean the race doesn't end under a safety car. Ambiguous, and odd rule change.
Scruffy the Janitor
16-05-2010, 14:22
I imagine they will just reverse the positions - great stuff from Schumacher though, very much making people aware he has lost none of his race craft.
Sammy709Sony930
16-05-2010, 14:24
Well said Ross brawn - case dismissed!
Ross Brawn noticeably not mentioning there that the regulation says about "entering the pit lane at the end of the last lap". There's valid arguments from both sides, and probably the most 'fair' result would be to let the result stick (as any penalty to Schumacher would be comparatively harsh).
EDIT: those green lights are really what should seal it for Schumacher I think.
I imagine they will just reverse the positions - great stuff from Schumacher though, very much making people aware he has lost none of his race craft.Unfortunately they can't do that, plenty of opportunities where 'common sense' decisions like that would be useful, but...
What Barrichello did was quite unbelievable. He should be harshly penalised and fined. Imagine if that sent another car into the barriers? :nuts:
Quite enjoyed that, even with the SCs - pleased for Webber, that was faultless and calm from him after seeing his lead taken away so many times. Agree about Barrichello - bit childish, and could easily have smashed someone's front wing or caused a puncture. I guess Schu wanted to give Damon something to rule on this weekend :D
Was it my imagination or was Leggard particularly irritating this race? Always seemed to be rambling on about little of relevance, and never missed an opportunity to remind us how much he knows (or has read) about races from 20 years ago :|
Raigmore
16-05-2010, 15:06
I also think that there will be repercussions about Barichello's action. On any circuit, throwing the steering wheel onto the race track into the path of oncoming cars can be very dangerous. At Monaco, those dangers are magnified considerably. Silly really.
slideymoo
16-05-2010, 15:13
I still think the safety car stuff needs to be changed, it's not fair at all.
It destroys the leads that cars have built up, and in this case basically gifted alonso points by giving him a free pitstop without losing any time.
dco_chris
16-05-2010, 15:27
I still think the safety car stuff needs to be changed, it's not fair at all.
It destroys the leads that cars have built up, and in this case basically gifted alonso points by giving him a free pitstop without losing any time.
What changes could be implemented though? The only one that I can imagine being both possible and having a real impact would be the reintroduction of closing the pit lane during the safety car period. Now that there is no refulling that rule may actually be sensible.
I was convinced that the green lights made a decision in favour of Schumacher inevitable, but:
As the safety car is approaching the pit entry the yellow flags and SC boards will be withdrawn and replaced by waved green flags with green lights at the Line. These will be displayed until the last car crosses the Line.
No idea now...
In Oz last year didn't the SC pull into the pits on the final bend but there the SC boards were still clearly displayed at the end of the race as Button took the flag.
http://www.autosport.com/gallery/photo.php/id/125019
Was that the case here? I didn't notice any.
edit: Admittedly this was last year though. Plus as RonnyJ has posted supposedly the boards will be removed.
Sammy709Sony930
16-05-2010, 16:01
Whatever the stewards decision, Alonso goofed up, Schumi smelt blood and went for the kill.
Schumi 1 Alonso 0
The rules changed this year apparently.
http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8687/fia.html
These are what I think are the relevant bits:
40.11 When the clerk of the course decides it is safe to call in the safety car the message "SAFETY CAR IN THIS LAP" will be displayed on the timing monitors and the car's orange lights will be extinguished This will be the signal to the teams and drivers that it will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap.
At this point the first car in line behind the safety car may dictate the pace and, if necessary, fall more than ten car lengths behind it.
In order to avoid the likelihood of accidents before the safety car returns to the pits, from the point at which the lights on the car are turned out drivers must proceed at a pace which involves no erratic acceleration or braking nor any other manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restart.
As the safety car is approaching the pit entry the yellow flags and SC boards will be withdrawn and replaced by waved green flags with green lights at the Line. These will be displayed until the last car crosses the Line.
40.12 Each lap completed while the safety car is deployed will be counted as a race lap.
40.13 If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtakingFrom that, I take that the green lights don't matter, and that it all comes down to semantics as to whether the race was ending under a safety car (and if it did, the safety car would have gone in the pits anyway).
They hadn't cleared those two cars out of the way, so the safety car wouldn't have gone in if that wasn't the last lap.
Schumacher has had 20 seconds added to his finishing time - dropping him to 12th.
dco_chris
16-05-2010, 16:41
Schumacher has had 20 seconds added to his finishing time - dropping him to 12th.
:cuckoo: I hope Mercedes appeal this one, that is utterly ridiculous.
Highlander
16-05-2010, 16:46
Who's driving the red car now ;) :D
The Bear
16-05-2010, 17:30
Damon Hill slapdown!!!
What was that Brundle said about Schumi probably getting a 10 grand fine just for turning up? :D Actually think Hill is far too professional to let any personal feelings get in the way here, but quite amusing this all happened anyway!
Not often I'd feel sorry for Schumi, but the rules as to whether the race was finishing under the safety car are at best ambiguous this year with the changes to the safety car line, and given the fact that race control said the safety car was in this lap. Intuitively I'd have thought if there was to be no more racing, they'd have left it out. I do wonder if bringing in the SC like that was a last minute decision to give a nice picture for the race finish, rather than have Webber trundle across the line behind the SC.
Will be interesting to see the full reasoning from the stewards, and what happens if/when Mercedes appeal.
Absolutely disgraceful decision. The fact that they've just made up some arbitrary time is ludicrous. Why not give a one second penalty (enough to put them back as they were) and verify the rule so the situation can't repeat itself? Now they've set a precedent based on a whim.
Mercedes are appealing - although it's one of those "drive-through" punishments that the FIA have so frequently said are 'unappealable'...
Mercedes are appealing - although it's one of those "drive-through" punishments that the FIA have so frequently said are 'unappealable'...
Well it's all semantics today, as according to Autosport/FIA Merc are strictly appealing the decision, not the penalty itself; not sure I see the difference but then I can't see the rationale in the last lap SC process either. Perhaps Haug recalls being told in 08 (Lewis/Spa) they should have appealed the decision not the penalty?
If it does get overturned then Damon Hill is going to look like a prize plum.
Why? Damon Hill is just an adviser to the stewards, giving a drivers viewpoint.
In this case, a drivers viewpoint isn't likely that helpful - it's all about a set of dodgy FIA rules/procedures which need fixing. The stewards were in a no-win situation really.
What kind of idiot came up with the safety car coming in on the last lap even if the race finishes under the safety car.
If you have to finish under the SC, leave it out until the race is over and the chequered flag waved..
Why? Damon Hill is just an adviser to the stewards, giving a drivers viewpoint.
In this case, a drivers viewpoint isn't likely that helpful - it's all about a set of dodgy FIA rules/procedures which need fixing. The stewards were in a no-win situation really.
While that may be true, the fact is that Hill is by far the most prominent figure in the decision-making process (reporters were even asking Schumacher about it before the decision), and the past history he has with Schumacher would make it look embarrassing for him if over-ruled.*
*Unless of course Hill comes out and says he thought the move was OK but the stewards went the other way. That makes the whole process look redundant though.
It won't get overturned. 99.9% certain of it at least. This specific SC process seems needless, I mean the key part of the ruling Schumacher is said to infringe is IF the race ends whilst the SC is deployed but just how do the FIA communicate IF it is or IF it isn't? It's clear to see why Merc considered the SC no longer deployed. I think Race Control made a mess of things somewhat but presumably they will have told the stewards that the race did indeed end under those conditions & this is why the stewards came to the decision they did. Assuming the appeal is admissable, I think Merc can only win on the grounds that RC failed in their duty & that they should not be punished as a result of it. Regardless, I'm sure Schumacher will take some satisfaction from the move anyway.
http://fialive.fiacommunications.com/en-GB/mediacentre/f1_media/Documents/mco-document-37.pdf
Why? Damon Hill is just an adviser to the stewards, giving a drivers viewpoint.
In this case, a drivers viewpoint isn't likely that helpful - it's all about a set of dodgy FIA rules/procedures which need fixing. The stewards were in a no-win situation really.
Yeah if anything I'd imagine Hill inclined to think it was allowed, as did the BBC team & the 'paddock' according to Ted, but the lawyer-type stewards concentrating on the interpretation of the rule.
Bearhorn
16-05-2010, 18:31
Bizarre decision which I think highlights the ambiguity in the appallingly drafted Regulation 40.13:
"40.13 If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking."
This seems to imply that a race can never end with the safety car deployed - how can you say that anything is 'deployed' in the truest meaning of that word when it is in the pit lane and not doing the job of leading the cars around?
The use of the words 'as normal' is ridiculous too. Proceeding to the chequered flag without permitting overtaking is not 'as normal' in my book. Indeed, if you look at the race finish, every driver (with exception of Fernando 'Siesta' Alonso perhaps) nailed it out of the last corner - why would they do this if it was clear that there is to be no overtaking?
Does anyone have the wording for the relevant regulation that deals with this new 'Safety Car Line' which permits cars to start racing (and hence overtake) prior to reaching the start/finish line? I would be interested to know if this regulation is drafted so that it is expressly made subject to regulation 40.13 (i.e. that regulation does not apply in circumstances where regulation 40.13 apply), otherwise the regulations themselves conflict and you cannot penalise someone for following an erroneously drafted regulations.
BigDavie2000
16-05-2010, 20:02
What sways me in Schumacher's favour is they where told that SC was coming in on last lap. Why tell them it was coming in? This, to me, is them saying that if the race was a lap longer that lap would have been green and making Schumacher's move legal. If they had not said the SC was coming in (or even better told them that the race was ending under SC conditions)
Rewatching the last lap green flags where being waved and lap indicator turned yellow to white as soon as the SC crossed the pit entrance line.
Bearhorn
16-05-2010, 20:15
I also don't really understand the penalty, which is equivalent to a pit-lane drive through penalty (which I believe is the standard penalty for overtaking under yellows/safety car). Clearly the point of the penalty is to deter drivers from overtaking when it is dangerous to do so. It should be noted that race control have ultimate discretion over when it is dangerous to overtake by use of yellow flags and the safety car but had Schumacher's overtake of Alonso happened on any lap other than the last lap (which is the only circumstance in which regulation 40.13 applies) it would have been a perfectly legal manoeuvre. So there isn't a ground here to sanction Schumacher on safety grounds which I thought was the whole point of the yellow flag/safety car rules.
In Oz last year didn't the SC pull into the pits on the final bend but there the SC boards were still clearly displayed at the end of the race as Button took the flag.
http://www.autosport.com/gallery/photo.php/id/125019
Mercedes believe green light meant race on. Yellow light in Aus last year. Support from other teams. Procedure could be reviewed.
about 1 hour ago via UberTwitter
http://twitter.com/legardj/status/14115166581
philatio
16-05-2010, 22:48
Spot on.
Green lights and green flags mean the race is back on.
Now if that shouldn't have happened.. then Race Control messed up. No way that Schumy should be penalised for that.
Damon Hill proves himself to be a prize pillock yet again.
belgarion_v
16-05-2010, 22:48
To say I'm not a Shumacher fan is an understatement but then equally I'm not a Ferrari fan to the same degree.
I would however say that Brawn do have a point here, if the race is deemed to be under the Safety Car then the Safety Car should have continued to cross the finish line rather than peel off into the pits.
They have introduced a 'new' line specifically for Safety Car conditions, once that line is crossed then they are back to race conditions surely, and they had green flags / lights to show this.
The only confusing thing is this rule 40.13, it does seem to contradict what happened - ie the flags / lights should have remained yellow.
Maybe this rule was created specifically for what happened today :shrug:
Good old F1, there seemed to be a lack of controversy this year till now.
Vince
Damon Hill proves himself to be a prize pillock yet again.Bit harsh - we have no idea what Hill's input was into this process, or even if it was a unanimous decision, and there were three other stewards too. My understanding is that the drivers' representative is there in an advisory role, rather than as someone who could veto a decision.
The only confusing thing is this rule 40.13, it does seem to contradict what happened - ie the flags / lights should have remained yellow.Rule 40.11 does say that the lights go green when the safety car is entering the pits. It would make sense for this not to happen when the safety car is entering the pits on the final lap if drivers can't overtake, but there's nothing to say otherwise.
I don't think anyone really knows how the FIA differentiate between a safety car being pulled in on the last lap (allowing overtaking), and a safety car coming in on the last lap to end the race (no overtaking) - not even the FIA.
Bearhorn
17-05-2010, 00:09
Per my earlier posts, a key piece of regulation surely would be that governing the 'safety car line'. I can't seem to find the relevant provisions which deal with this new 'safety car line' in the regulations. It doesn't appear to be specifically covered in regulation 40 other than a mysterious reference to defined term 'the Line'?
Interesting that Legard is noting that other teams support Mercedes' case, I bet Red Bull (and, ironically, McLaren) fully support Mercedes taking points off Ferrari :)
Bearhorn
17-05-2010, 00:19
Rule 40.11 does say that the lights go green when the safety car is entering the pits. It would make sense for this not to happen when the safety car is entering the pits on the final lap if drivers can't overtake, but there's nothing to say otherwise.
This is why I noted the appalling drafting of regulation 40.13 in earlier post because it seems the FIA intended regulation 40.13 as an override for everything - including green lights. But Mercedes would have strong grounds to argue that 40.11 provides for green lights when safety car is entering pits (without being made subject to the change of procedure on last lap in regulation 40.13). Accordingly, green lights I'm sure in the regulations mean that drivers are permitted to race and overtake - and I'll bet that the relevant green light regulations are not made subject to change of procedure regarding no overtaking on last lap in regulation 40.13.
In order for there to be no ambiguity in regulation 40.13, it should at the very least be drafted to say 'Notwithstanding any other provisions in these regulations...' so that it does properly override potential conflicting regulations we've identified regarding both the operation of the safety car and the operation of the green lights.
Ross Brawn shows once again what a jolly clever chap he is. It's not the first time he's found the FIA's Formula 1 regulations wanting - Silverstone 1998 immediately springs to mind.
Bearhorn
17-05-2010, 00:29
Last point relating to green lights - in motor racing, certain signs must be unequivocal for safety grounds if nothing else e.g. yellow flag means slow down, no overtaking danger on track and red flag means race stopped, stop racing immediately, return to grid and await further instructions.
The FIA is entering dangerous grounds if it tries to contend that, in certain circumstances (like the one we just witnessed in Monaco), the green light does not mean drivers may race. You simply cannot have drivers in F1 cars second guessing whether they are allowed to race each other or not. It is a recipe for disaster if you have half the field believing they are allowed to race and the other half meandering along believing they are to hold station and can't be overtaken. In this regard, we should be grateful that Schumacher was the only one to mount a last corner challenge on the car in front - imagine if more had tried it, we would have ended up with more Chandhok/Trulli style pileups.
belgarion_v
17-05-2010, 09:27
Another question, why hasn't Barichello been reprimanded for his behaviour?
He had a crash, okay no problem, but he threw his steering wheel onto the track and it was run over by another car and potentially could have caused an accident itself.
Debris is one thing but that was just mindless, and he is supposed to put the wheel back on the car to help steering when its moved - the fact that the car couldn't be steered is irrelevant, they have a rule that he puts the wheel back on.
Vince
Bearhorn
17-05-2010, 11:06
I think the FIA will look at Barrichello's steering wheel throwing incident but I think it would be harsh to penalise him for it given he had just had one of the scariest accidents you can ever have in a modern F1 car - all thanks to the anachronism that is the Monaco Grand Prix.
Other cars would all have slowed down on seeing the yellow flags warning of debris of Barrichello's accident. I look at his steering wheel as an extra piece of debris that he threw out there - given magnitude of accident he probably thought that there was likely to be tyres and big pieces of debris littering the track anyway (which there were) so his steering wheel, in the grand scheme of things doesn't make any difference - if anything I would argue a steering wheel with it's smooth surfaces is less likely to cause punctures than say a shard of carbon fibre from smashed suspension arm.
In any event, he threw his steering wheel out because his car was on fire and in such circumstances the most important thing is to just get out of the car so marshalls can attend to it. Would respectfully submit that if a driver's car is on fire he is not expected to remove steering wheel and find a safe place (on a smashed F1 car) to carefully put it down and then remove the cockpit surround and find a safe place to put that too and then return to his burning car and carefully replace the steering wheel - especially when the steering column is likely not connected to any wheels to steer.
Given the nature of the track, I think Monaco might have slightly different procedures relating to stricken cars. I believe the priority is always to get the driver off the track as quickly as possible. Monaco is not like other circuits with big run off areas where the driver is not in immediate peril of being hit by another car on the track (especially under yellow flag conditions) and therefore has the luxury of time to carefully replace a steering wheel. In Monaco all cars are removed by cranes which makes reassembling them so they can be steered off the track even more unnecessary.
I think people are making a bit of a mountain out of a molehill really - I don't know if Jarno Trulli got penalised by the FIA but he recklessly threw his whole car including the steering wheel at poor Karun Chandhok later in the race :D
Whether they win the appeal or not, Schumacher's move is still my favourite of the season so far! :D
The most shocking thing I saw during the coverage was Coulthard's sun burn, he definitely needed a higher factor. :lol:
Bearhorn
18-05-2010, 16:01
Mercedes appear to have withdrawn their appeal. Probably the right thing to do given how successful previous appeals to the FIA have been.
Excellent to see that they have instead managed to get "article 40.13 on the agenda of the next Sporting Working Group for discussion and to consider the scale of post race penalties".
Once again good sense returns to the world of Formula 1 as it invariably does. Drop appeal over a regulation which is ambiguous and could easily have gone their way considering green lights and other extenuating circumstances and in return a working group will consider this regulation at the next meeting. Why is this working group considering a regulation which is so clear that teams are no longer appealing it?
Fazer1000
19-05-2010, 17:27
Last point relating to green lights - in motor racing, certain signs must be unequivocal for safety grounds if nothing else e.g. yellow flag means slow down, no overtaking danger on track and red flag means race stopped, stop racing immediately, return to grid and await further instructions.
The FIA is entering dangerous grounds if it tries to contend that, in certain circumstances (like the one we just witnessed in Monaco), the green light does not mean drivers may race. You simply cannot have drivers in F1 cars second guessing whether they are allowed to race each other or not. It is a recipe for disaster if you have half the field believing they are allowed to race and the other half meandering along believing they are to hold station and can't be overtaken. In this regard, we should be grateful that Schumacher was the only one to mount a last corner challenge on the car in front - imagine if more had tried it, we would have ended up with more Chandhok/Trulli style pileups.
Spot on. We know that each car has onboard comms nowadays, but these aren't infallible and a failure doesn't justify a driver to pull into the pits, and also why pit boards are still very much in use. If they can't rely on simple 'at a glance' indications by flags/lights, there is a fundamental flaw in the system.
If the situation warranted a safety car, and the indication is that is was intended to finish under those conditions, then it should have never pulled into the pits, instead leading all cars around the slowing down lap and back to the pits/parc ferme.
The rules as I interpret them seem to say that a safety car will ALWAYS pull in on a last lap - which then leaves the lead driver to 'set the pace'. Dangerous IMO.
The FIA are going to amend the safety car rules:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83738
It's ridiculous that somebody is penalised heavily (+20secs) for a situation that they then admit is unclear. I'm not blaming the stewards here for how they interpreted the rules, possible to interpret it either way I think.
I also have to point to Spa 2008, and the clarification given after the race after Hamilton was penalised his win (although Charlie Whiting said it was OK at the time).
DVDWotcha
21-05-2010, 14:08
Seems to be a lot of chassis changing going on at the moment which to me seems wrong. Going from short wheelbase to long wheelbase to suit the track seems to be an unfair advantage over the smaller teams who cannot afford to do this.
Fair enough if it's a genuine defect, but doing it to suit the track as Mercedes did in Monaco seems wrong.
Ferrari regularly flipped between SWB and LWB chassis a few years back.
Personally, I'm of the opinion that if you can't afford to be in F1, then you shouldn't be in F1. Sick of the FIA dumbing down the sport in order to pander to the concept of retaining smaller teams. F1 is not about generic parts like A1 or Indycar, etc. It is meant to be the pinnacle of motorsport, not a hatchback production line!
Seems to be a lot of chassis changing going on at the moment which to me seems wrong. Going from short wheelbase to long wheelbase to suit the track seems to be an unfair advantage over the smaller teams who cannot afford to do this.
Fair enough if it's a genuine defect, but doing it to suit the track as Mercedes did in Monaco seems wrong.
Mercedes just changed the suspension points or something, same chassis apparently. Monaco is a different circuit from all the rest though, it's not just the wheelbase that would be changed.
Bearhorn
22-05-2010, 10:33
The FIA are going to amend the safety car rules:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83738
It's ridiculous that somebody is penalised heavily (+20secs) for a situation that they then admit is unclear. I'm not blaming the stewards here for how they interpreted the rules, possible to interpret it either way I think.
It is this sort of thing which destroys what little credibility F1 has as a sport. In any system of law, if the laws are written in a manner where the application of them is unclear then you cannot apply them to penalise anyone. It just doesn't make sense for the FIA to contend that you broke a rule and must pay a penalty on the one hand and then go on to say that the rule you broke is actually unclear.
Anyone else think something is going on in the background here with Mercedes as it is most unlike Ross Brawn to back down on any dispute with the FIA - Silverstone 1998, Michelin tyres, Brawn GP double diffuser etc?
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