Did Hamilton really deserve that penalty?

[f2akid]

I don't know how many people here are into their F1 but I'm slightly confused about Lewis Hamilton being stripped of his Belgian pole (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/formula1/2008-09-07-belgian-gp_N.htm?csp=34) for cutting a chicane. Yes he cheated and should be penalised but isn't 25 seconds a bit too harsh? Besides, he surrendered the advantage near the next pit anyway - only to gain it back almost instantly.

I'm not an expert at all but: 25 seconds too harsh?

[tenshi_a]

Don't they decide what the punishment will be before the crime is committed? Hasn't anyone else done this before? Whatever the standard punishment is, he should get.

I don't have much of an opinion since I didn't watch it myself, but I would say that I couldn't celebrate a person representing my country winning, if they had done so by cheating in any way.

[Caster13]

No complaints here. Felipe Massa won now, which means one more victory for Ferrari!::cheers:

Still, Lewis and Raikkonen's battle for first was awesome. And this Sunday is Monza, so I'm DEFINITELY gonna watch that one.:D Even though I'm getting a DVR, I'm gonna watch that race live.

[Trefellin]

What?! Where?!

I heard you guys were talking about Belgian pole stripping so I rushed over right away. What's going on?

[Caster13]

When Hamilton cut the corner of one of the chicanes at Spa when he was duking it out with Raikkonen for first. He got a 25 second penalty for it.



btw I love it how there's a good number of F1 fans here.:D

[Leader Desslock]

...stripped of his Belgian pole for cutting a chicane...
Is that some sort of Cockney Rhyming Slang (http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/cockney_rhyming_slang)?

Seriously, that doesn't even look like English to me. Random words, that's all I'm getting.

[Caster13]

A chicane (pronounced shi-cane) is an S-turn on a racetrack.

[f2akid]

Don't they decide what the punishment will be before the crime is committed? Hasn't anyone else done this before? Whatever the standard punishment is, he should get.

I don't have much of an opinion since I didn't watch it myself, but I would say that I couldn't celebrate a person representing my country winning, if they had done so by cheating in any way.

But see the thing is even though cutting a chicane is pretty bad as you're gaining an unfair advantage over everyone else who takes the turn properly, a 25 second penalty when he won the race by nearly 15 seconds ahead of Massa (2nd place) seems quite harsh considering Lewis Hamilton's context.

Earlier in the season I think about 4 races back Hamilton cut a chicane in the middle of his race to avoid a collision with the drivers he was trying to overtake, and all he got for that was a 10 second pit-lane penalty. The contexts are differing of course because during that particular incident he was 13th or 14th, but it doesn't matter that much as the penalty should be equally aggressive no matter which position a driver is in.

Meh I don't know but it just seems harsh to a guy who literally won the race fair and square by 14 seconds (since he gave up his advantage before streamlining back into first). A ten second penalty in this situation would have been justice done and the integrity of the sport wouldn't have suffered as much, but now who knows.

[Grizzbob]

No, it's a known rule, & the stewards make it pretty clear in the drivers' meeting before every race, you cut the corner, you either get a run through pit lane or a 25 sec. penalty. No ifs ands or buts. Would you have preferred that Hamilton be made to do the drive through? That would've hurt even worse. Spirit of the rule or not, it's a rule & it was broken, so they only did what they had to do to him. Did it feel right? Not really(though I am a Ferrari fan, so I can't feel TOO bad for anyone from McLaren, :P ), but it was the right thing to do nevertheless....:cool:

[Caster13]

^Ah, a fellow tifosi.:D (Italian for fan, used to refer to Ferrari fans, for those who don't know.)

Hey people, it's not like what happened last year when Ferrari's car design got ripped off.:$%&#!: Or when everyone found out about Max Mosely's "fetish".

[Trefellin]

Or when everyone found out about Max Mosely's "fetish".

Belgian pole dancing strippers? :w00t:

[GreatNekoKoneko]

Belgian pole dancing strippers? :w00t:

... my thoughts exactly. they do have some good beer - its only fair that they have good pole dancers too.

[f2akid]

Belgian pole dancing strippers? :w00t:

Ha, he wishes something like that would have come out instead...

[tenshi_a]

I was actually more surprised to find out that Max Mosely's dad was founder and leader of the British Nazi party, on first name terms with Hitler. I didn't know before and no-one mentioned it until that scandal hit the headlines.

[Caster13]

People found out that he made a Nazi sex video. Honestly I have no idea why the rest of the FIA didn't just fire his *** after he wouldn't resign.