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.

It looks like Fernando Alonso has been taking lessons from Michael Schumacher. In a disgusting display of poor sportsmanship it appears that Fernando and his crew deliberately held up Lewis Hamilton to prevent him turning his final fast lap in qualifying.

Ron Dennis appeared livid as he saw this sad event take place, snatching the headphones from Alonso’s pit board man and marching him down pit lane it was clear he was extremely angry.

Lewis Hamilton had been clearly fastest throughout qualifying and it looks like Fernando decided that the only way to get pole was to prevent Lewis from getting his fast lap.

This kind of behaviour reminds me of a certain Ferrari driver of times past and I have personally lost a huge amount of respect for Mr. Alonso after this incident and I applaud Lewis for his typical low key, let the facts speak for themselves attitude during the post quali interviews.

Fernando, I hope you are ashamed of yourself for this pathetic behaviour.