F1 BLOG

Once again, the Formula 1 folks missed the point. Never mind the debate about did Lewis gain an advantage by cutting the chicane, Of course he did, but then he gave the position back. The fact that he took the position back at the next corner had more to do with how the McLaren was handling in the rain vs. the Ferrari than any advantage at the chicane. Clearly he had to slow enough for the Ferrari to pass him and then begin racing again, which he did .

What really bugs me is that the ruling body never bothered to clarify the rules regarding what a driver is to do in this situation. It has been common practice to give up any position you gain by cutting a chicane and you avoid any penalty. I’ve seen Massa pass someone by cutting the chicane, give up the postion and no penalty to Ferrari so why when a McLaren does it do you get a 25 second penalty?

The real issue is what constitutes an advantage because the rules don’t explicitly state what that is. In any sport, if the players are not sure what the rules are then you are going to have chaos. If the rule is give up the place you gained ( as ferrari has done to avoid a penalty) then Lewis did the right thing and should not have been penalized. If the rule is give up the place and don’t pass until at least 1 more corner then so be it and state it in the rules.

I think it is clear that Lewis did what other drivers have done in the past to avoid a penalty but for some reason in this case it wasn’t enough.

I’ve never been one to jump on the Ferrari bias band wagon but it is clear to me that the rules are not being applied in the same way to all teams. If you are going to enforce a rule then you damn well better make sure you do it equally for ALL drivers and not just when it suits you.

I would have preferred if they had said the the appeal was not allowed, but also took the time to clarify what is the required action in this situation to avoid a penalty which they did not bother to do.

All I can say is if a Ferrari cuts a chicane and does the same thing Hamilton did I’d better see a drive through penalty for Ferrari or I will have lost all faith in F1 to follow it’s own rules.

After some of the most exciting closing laps I’ve seen in F1 lately the Belgian GP has now been ruined for me by yet another questionable call by the race officials.  By giving Lewis a 25 second penalty and dropping him from 1st to 3rd place they have once again managed to make it more about the regulations than the racing.

I was watching the race, I saw Lewis shortcut the chicane in the rain slick conditions but I also saw him back off and give Kimi the place back again, thus gaining no advantage from his off track excursion and then the two excellent drivers continued to race.   The rules are clear that you cannot gain an advantage by such means and that if a driver does gain position he must immediately give up that gain.  In the race I was watching that is exactly what Lewis did and in a championship this close, especially after last years foolishness to take away that victory after some of the most fun to watch racing we’ve seen this year is just a stupid move on the part of the F1 officials.

The biggest complaint I hear about F1 is, it’s boring, there is no passing, nothing exciting happens.  Well, when it does and that results in some fantastic racing it’s a shame the officials have to taint the experience.

That’s just my opinion, I could be wrong and welcome your comments.

In a close qualification round at SPA Lewis Hamilton is on pole, sharing the front row with Massa.  Lewis had an inspired final lap in quali and puts his car and the McLaren team on pole.  Weather may be a factor tomorrow but It’s looking like it will be a very interesting race.  Lewis says the softer tire is better on this track but will it handle the very long laps of SPA?  With Massa out qualifying Kimi again the question remains who should be the number one driver at Ferrari?

Tomorrow we will see how things shake out in the race and what the effect on the championship will be.