Should Toyota or the FIA decide Glock is not fit enough to take part in the Japanese Grand Prix – remember, the German is also recovering from a fever – and presuming test and reserve driver Kamui Kobayashi is allowed to stand-in, then he will undoubtedly start from the pitlane.

Just before qualifying started, Force India changed the gearbox in Vitantonio Liuzzi’s car, meaning the Italian would be demoted five places regardless of where he qualified. As it turned out, Liuzzi qualified plum-last anyway, and so will start at the back of the grid, albeit ahead of the two pitlane starters. For reference, drivers starting from the pitlane are not allowed to leave the pits until the final car has passed the pit exit, assuming all cars actually make it that far, that is.

During qualifying, a number of drivers were found to have not backed off enough while passing yellow flags. The waved yellow flag indicates that a driver must slow down as there is a problem ahead, which is usually a car that has spun off into the gravel. For obvious reasons, it isn’t wished upon any following driver that they too spin off and instead of gracefully coming to a stop in the gravel, they instead slam into a stationary car. Double waved yellows indicates that a driver has to slow right down and be prepared to stop. This is shown when marshals are on the track.

Given the high number of incidents during qualifying earlier, there were quite a lot of yellow flags being waved, and some drivers were deemed to have not heeded them as well as they should have. Adrian Sutil, Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Sebastien Buemi and Fernando Alonso each fell foul of the rule book and their own telemetry, and each received a five grid place penalty.

After qualifying, McLaren decided to change Heikki Kovalainen’s gearbox, demoting the Finnish driver from his original P9 to a post-penalty P13.

You’ve already asked the question in your head, no doubt… how has Kovalainen received a five grid slot penalty, but only moved down the order by four places? This is because Formula One likes to make it a little bit more complicated, but it is actually quite fair. Penalties are always issued in the order that the offense was committed. Therefore, Mark Webber was initially moved to the pitlane and essentially, P20 before qualifying started. Vitantonio Liuzzi was second to receive the elbow, and therefore definitely starts at the back of the grid. Liuzzi can still opt to start from the pitlane, but all things considered, he is probably better off where he is.

The last of the penalties receivers, so far, is Heikki Kovalainen. Therefore, all the yellow-flag-ignorers have had their demotions applied before Heikki gets his. And therefore, in a hopefully ultimate tone, will start in P13. Unfortunately, we do not yet know the exact order the yellow-flag offenses were committed, and so we do not know the final grid order. This grid is likely to change and is just a guesstimate.

Interestingly, Autosport seem to be under the impression Mark Webber will start behind Timo Glock in the pitlane. Although from my understanding, Glock received his punishment after Webber (and boy, it was more punishment than I think he was bargaining for), and so therefore is penalised after Mark. Which would surely put Timo just behind the Red Bull driver in the pitlane.

Either way, here is my stab at the grid for the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix.

Japan 2009: The Grid Inclusive of penalties given.
1		Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m32.160s
			Jarno Trulli Toyota 1m32.220s		2
3		Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1m32.395s
			Nick Heidfeld BMW 1m32.945s		4
5		Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m32.980s
			Nico Rosberg Williams 1m31.482s		6
7		Robert Kubica BMW 1m32.341s
			Adrian Sutil Force India 1m32.466s		8
9		Rubens Barrichello Brawn 1m32.660s
			Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso No Time		10
11		Jenson Button Brawn 1m32.962s
			Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari 1m31.704s		12
13		Heikki Kovalainen McLaren No Time
			Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso No Time		14
15		Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1m31.718s
			Romain Grosjean Renault 1m32.073s		16
17		Fernando Alonso Renault 1m31.638s
			Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India 1m32.087s		18
19		PITLANE Mark Webber Red Bull Racing No Time
			PITLANE Timo Glock Toyota No Time		20

Original article by BlogF1.

Japan 2009: The Grid, Maybe

The first penalty of the day went to Vitantonio Liuzzi, the Italian taking an unscheduled gear box change prior to qualifying and therefore accepting a five-grid slot demotion. As it turned out, Liuzzi could only manage last-place anyway, his only consolation being the non-active participant, Mark Webber. The Red Bull pilot was unable to take part in the running after damaging his car earlier in the day. Webber will start tomorrow’s race from the pitlane, therefore leaving Liuzzi at the back of the grid.

And for infringing the rule which states drivers must lift sufficiently when the yellow flags are waving, Fernando Alonso, Adrian Sutil, Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button have all been reprimanded. Sebastien Buemi has landed himself in hot water as well for driving back to the pitlane with a damaged car. Each has been awarded a demotion of five grid slots, meaning a change to the order following qualifying.

• Vitantonio Liuzzi qualified 19th and remains 19th.
• Fernando Alonso qualified 12th but will start 17th.
• Sebastien Buemi qualified 10th but will start 15th.
• Jenson Button qualified 7th but will start 12th.
• Rubens Barrichello qualified 5th but will start 10th.
• Adrian Sutil qualified 4th but will start 9th.

This promotes Nick Heidfeld to fourth, Kimi Raikkonen to fifth and Heikki Kovalainen to sixth. Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica also get promoted up the order. A grid will follow later today.

Original article by BlogF1.

Japan 2009: Penalties Galore

As the lights went out in Hungary and the race got underway, Kimi Raikkonen was making use of his KERS device and was thundering up the field. The Finnish pilot squeezed Sebastian Vettel over to the right and the German Red Bull driver believes contact was made. After the first corner, Vettel radioed his team to say that he thought there was damage to the front wing, but it turned out to be more serious. The front-left suspension on the RB5 had been broken, and at about the mid-point of the race, it gave way. Vettel was forced to retire his car.

Despite this though, the stewards, who were investigating the incident, said that it was just a racing incident and that no punishment would be handed out.

However, Renault have been given a very harsh penalty following the incident that saw Fernando Alonso’s wheel come off mid-lap. The team, Piquet inclusive, will not race in Valencia in a months time. Although it is rumoured that Piquet will not be racing for Renault again anyway, penalty or no penalty. Further information on the Renault suspension can be read in this post.

Also, Red Bull have been reprimanded for the second race in succession. In Germany, Vettel was released early following a pitstop and the Milton Keynes squad were given a slap on the wrists. And again in Hungary this time, Mark Webber was released into the path of Kimi Raikkonen following a bodged pitstop that almost saw the fuel man get dragged to the floor. Webber thought he had been given the indication to go, but in fact the fuel nozzle was still attached to the RB5. Webber quickly backtracked his motions and stopped, but now under pressure, the team released him without checking the fast lane again and Webber was forced to back out of the throttle to avoid colliding with the Ferrari.

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Sebastien buemi, who was enjoying a great weekend starting in P10, has not only finished in last place and been beaten by his rookie team mate, but has also received a fine for €1800 for speeding in the pitlane.

All in all, it was quite the Hungarian Grand Prix. Renault are out for one race, Raikkonen got away with being a bit boisterous at the start and Red Bull are treading on a very thin line with regards to pitstops.

• The live race notes can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Live Race Notes
• The race result can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Race Result
• The race report can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Lewis Hamilton Returns McLaren To Top With Victory
• The pitstop and tyre strategies can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Pitstop & Tyre Strategies
• The fantasy racers round-up can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Fantasy Racers Update
• The Renault penalty post can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Renault Have Been Suspended From The European Grand Prix

Original article by BlogF1.

Hungary 2009: Penalty Updates

McLaren have stated that David Ryan, the team’s Sporting Director at the time, asked Hamilton not to mention the fact that the team had asked him to allow Trulli to repass after the Italian Toyota driver fell off the track momentarily. However, Trulli did make his way pass the McLaren and finished the race in third place. An initial investigation found Trulli to be in the wrong and the driver was handed a hefty penalty, although at the time, Jarno professed he had little choice but to repass because Hamilton had slowed significantly and moved away from the racing line.

Toyota started to appeal the steward’s decision, but given the controversial nature of the results anyway (due to the ongoing diffuser issue), Toyota backed down and withdrew their appeal. However, audio evidence from McLaren’s pit-to-driver radio later revealed that the team had been in contact with Lewis during the incident and had asked him to slow down and allow Trulli to pass. Since this information was not given to the stewards at the time Trulli has now been reinstated and Hamilton disqualified. However, there is a larger issue now that needs addressing and it is this that has caused the FIA to consider bringing further action against McLaren.

An extraordinary WMSC meeting has been scheduled for April 29th, 2009, where McLaren representatives will be required to attend in Paris at the FIA’s headquarters. The official charge is that McLaren have breached Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, which details how teams cannot partake in any “fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally”.

The FIA have charged McLaren with five counts of breaching Article 151c.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has been invited to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Wednesday, 29 April, 2009, to answer charges that, in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, it

• on 29 March, 2009, told the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix that no instructions were given to Hamilton in Car No. 1 to allow Trulli in Car no. 9 to pass when both cars were behind the safety car, knowing this statement to be untrue;
• procured its driver Hamilton the current World Champion, to support and confirm this untrue statement to the stewards;
• although knowing that as a direct result of its untrue statement to the stewards, another driver and a rival team had been unfairly penalised, made no attempt to rectify the situation either by contacting the FIA or otherwise;
• on 2 April, 2009, at a second hearing before the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix, (meeting in Malaysia) made no attempt to correct the untrue statement of 29 March but, on the contrary, continued to maintain that the statement was true, despite being allowed to listen to a recording of the team instructing Hamilton to let Trulli past and despite being given more than one opportunity to correct its false statement;
• on 2 April, 2009, at the second stewards’ hearing, procured its driver Hamilton to continue to assert the truth of the false statement given to the stewards on 29 March, while knowing that what he was saying to the stewards was not true. FIA Press Release.

On Friday 3rd April, while at the Malaysian Grand Prix, McLaren’s team principal Martin Whitmarsh suspended David Ryan, and since then the two parties have separated. McLaren made a statement earlier today that they had received the summons to the WMSC meeting at the end of the month and that David Ryan no longer works for any of the McLaren group of companies.

McLaren acknowledges receipt of an invitation to appear at an FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on April 29, received this afternoon.

We undertake to co-operate fully with all WMSC processes, and welcome the opportunity to work with the FIA in the best interests of Formula 1.

This afternoon McLaren and its former sporting director, Dave Ryan, have formally parted company. As a result, he is no longer an employee of any of the constituent companies of the McLaren Group. McLaren Statement.

Also on Friday, Lewis Hamilton gathered the press in the media centre at Sepang and offered an apology to the FIA, his team and the fans. Hamilton professed he is not a liar and stated that he was following instructions from one member of the McLaren team.

It has since been discussed all over the Internet how this will impact McLaren’s and Hamilton’s reputations, and of course, the saga from 2007 has been raised once again. Back in ‘07, McLaren banded together and held strong; a philosophy often taken by sporting teams of winning together, and losing together. However, the way McLaren have handled this particular incident is quite different, with the team singling out one person and immediately removing that person from the equation (the team). Perhaps it is the new team principal’s way of doing things, perhaps it was just seen as the better course of action to take.

Undoubtedly this will have a negative impact on the team, and although some will say (myself included) that McLaren pay Hamilton, therefore he should do what they say and it is also up to the team to be correct and truthful, this will also have a negative impact on Hamilton. After all, a lie is a lie. During his apology at Sepang, Lewis stated that he felt like quitting the sport over what had happened, which perhaps sounds a little drastic and melodramatic, does perhaps offer some redeeming value in his reputation. Unfortunately though, while I am absolutely certain this is not the first nor will be the last time a driver or team have lied to the FIA, the fact they have been so publicly caught and shamed by it will only damage the core trust placed in them by motor sporting bodies as well as McLaren’s rivals and supporters.

Possible sanctions that could be imposed on McLaren should they be found guilty of these charges range from complete disqualification from the 2009 World Championship (drivers and constructors) as well as monetary fines, to a mere slapping of the wrists and suspended sentences. It is my opinion though, given how strictly the FIA have dealt with cases like this in the past, that McLaren will be lucky if they are contesting both titles for the remainder of the season. While it is highly unlikely that Hamilton will be thrown out of the drivers – his appeal to fans is too great – the team could very easily be disqualified from the constructors battle, just as they were in 2007.

So what do you think? Should McLaren face further charges/penalties, or is it enough that Hamilton was disqualified from Australia and both driver and team shamed in the international media? How would you deal with this particular case?

Original article by BlogF1.

McLaren Summoned To Extraordinary WMSC Meeting

The initial race result had Jarno Trulli in third and Lewis Hamilton in fourth, but soon after the race Trulli was handed a 25-second penalty, thus promoting Hamilton and sending Trulli down to twelfth place. This has now been reversed, with Trulli placed back in third and Hamilton completely out of the finishing order.

The full race report from last weekend can be read here: Australia 2009: Jenson Button Leads Brawn One-Two.

Australia 2009 Race Results		Laps Completed	Time Race Length	Points Earned
1.	Jenson Button Brawn	58	1h34:15.784	10pts
2.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	58	+1.604s	8pts
3.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	58	+2.914s	6pts
4.	Timo Glock Toyota	58	+4.435s	5pts
5.	Fernando Alonso Renault	58	+4.879s	4pts
6.	Nico Rosberg Williams	58	+5.722s	3pts
7.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	58	+6.004s	2pts
8.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	58	+6.298s	1pt
9.	Adrian Sutil Force India	58	+6.335s
10.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	58	+7.085s
11.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	58	+7.374s
12.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	57	+1 Lap
13.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	56	Collision
14.	Robert Kubica BMW	55	Collision
15.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	55	Mechanical
16.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	45	Mechanical
17.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	24	Spun
18.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	17	Accident
19.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	0	Collision
20.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	58	DSQ

Original article by BlogF1.

Australia 2009: Amended Race Result

Ferrari and Red Bull Racing were also under investigation after Williams lodged a protest. However, after discussion the Oxfordshire team have withdrawn their protest. Should the grid change though before the start of tomorrow’s race, this post will be updated.

Australia 2009: The Grid Inclusive of penalties given.
1		Jenson Button Brawn 1m26.202s
			Rubens Barrichello Brawn 1m26.505s		2
3		Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m26.830s
			Robert Kubica BMW 1m26.914s		4
5		Nico Rosberg Williams 1m26.973s
			Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m27.033s		6
7		Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m27.163s
			Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m27.246s		8
9		Nick Heidfeld BMW 1m25.504s
			Fernando Alonso Renault 1m25.605s		10
11		Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1m25.607s
			Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1m25.726s		12
13		Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m26.503s
			Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault 1m26.598s		14
15		Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1m26.677s
			Adrian Sutil Force India 1m26.742s		16
17		Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m26.964s
			Lewis Hamilton McLaren No Time*		18
19		Jarno Trulli Toyota 1m27.127s**
			Timo Glock Toyota 1m26.975s**		20

*Lewis Hamilton received a 5 grid slot penalty for changing gear box.
**Toyota had their qualifying times taken away after it was discovered their rear wing was flexing. Trulli gets the leading position because he holds the lower entrant number.

Original article by BlogF1.

Australia 2009: The Grid

It would seem that Toyota have breached the rule regarding flexibility in wings, and the rear wing on the TF109 has been or has the potential to move.

The Stewards have received a report from the Technical Delegate that the upper rear wing elements of cars No. 9 and 10 are showing extreme flexibility in contravention of Article 3.15 of the 2009 Formula One Technical Regulations.

The Stewards have heard the explanation from a representative of Panasonic Toyota Racing and have examined the cars in question.

The Stewards concur with the opinion of the Technical Delegate and find the cars contravene the requirements of Article 3.15 of the 2009 Formula One Technical Regulations.

It is the Stewards decision that cars number 9 and 10 be excluded from the Qualifying Session Official Classification. FIA Statement.

Article 3.15 of the Technical Regulations states:

With the exception of the cover described in Article 6.5.2 [the fuel connector cover] (when used in the pit lane), the driver adjustable bodywork described in Article 3.18 [permitted movable front wing element] and the [air] ducts described in Article 11.4, any specific part of the car influencing its aerodynamic performance:
– must comply with the rules relating to bodywork ;
– must be rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom);
– must remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car.

Any device or construction that is designed to bridge the gap between the sprung part of the car and the ground is prohibited under all circumstances.

No part having an aerodynamic influence and no part of the bodywork, with the exception 3.13 above, may under any circumstances be located below the reference plane. FIA Technical Regulations – 18/03/2009.

In short, this means the rear wing is not allowed to move or flex in any way. According to the FIA, Toyota’s does. This puts Toyota at the back of the grid after qualifying well in P6 for Timo Glock and P8 for Jarno Trulli. At the moment, this promotes Felipe Massa to P6, Kimi Raikkonen to P7, Mark Webber to P8, Nick Heidfeld to P9, Fernando Alonso to P10 and similar along the grid.

However, the grid could change yet again because Williams have protested the legality of the Ferrari and Red Bull cars. This protest comes after Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault protested the legality of the Williams diffuser (along with Brawn’s and Toyota’s) yesterday. It is thought that Williams’s protest centres around some aerodynamic part of the F60 and RB5 cars.

And finally, Lewis Hamilton has also gone to the back of the grid after having to get a new gearbox fitted to his McLaren MP4-24. Originally qualifying in P15, Hamilton couldn’t take part in Q2 as his car lost all drive. The team had hoped it was something other than the gear box knowing the ensuing penalty would only make Hamilton’s Australian Grand Prix go from bad to worse. Unfortunately, it has done just that. According to the team, fourth gear was to blame.

Grid penalties are awarded to drivers in the order they were handed out, but it is unknown to me if Hamilton’s gearbox was changed before or after the FIA deemed the Toyota’s illegal. It more than likely was, and therefore Hamilton will start in P18 while Glock and Trulli take P19 and P20 respectively. Of course, Hamilton could end up starting higher than his original qualifying place if Ferrari and Red Bull promote him to P14.

Update

Williams has now withdrawn it’s protest against Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.

Original article by BlogF1.

Australia 2009: Hamilton & Toyota Sent To Back, Ferrari & Red Bull May Follow

When dealing with drivers and their misdemeanour’s, the FIA have to be open and honest with not just those directly involved, but also the very people who so passionately follow the sport and their heroes. The fact it has taken the FIA this long to work that out is quite simply astonishing, but perhaps it’s a case of slow and steady wins the race. And while the decisions made don’t really go far enough, the WMSC’s conclusions are definitely a step in the right direction.

The WMSC and FIA have announced that video evidence from incidents will be made available through their and F1’s official website, as we saw following the Japanese Grand Prix (although I’m still yet to see on-board footage from Sebastien Bourdais’s car – the very footage that would confirm the penalty as just or bonkers). The video footage, if indeed it is necessary for the particular case, will be accompanied by a written explanation as to how the stewards came to their conclusions.

Also, a new replay system will be introduced to allow the stewards to view video footage while the race is continuing, allowing for a more timely response to infringements of the rules. This implies that the stewards didn’t have any means to view replays of footage during 2008, does it not? Which, if true, proves just how prehistoric the FIA are. I have been criticising the stewards this past season for their shoddy use of the phrase “will be investigated after the race”. However, if the authorities weren’t able to instantly view the video evidence, then I must retract some (and only some) of my harsh words.

Of course, if the stewards require telemetry or need to interview the drivers, then some decisions may be delayed. However, giving the stewards the tools to do their jobs properly is undoubtedly another step in the right direction.

It also came apparent this year that some stewards had never visited a grand prix before in their life and some had little-to-no interest or knowledge of the sport. This absolutely blew away fans, journalists and bloggers the world over, and the fact that the FIA would think this is a good idea left us all utterly speechless. To improve this area, the WMSC announced that trainee-stewards will have to visit five races in an observational capacity to see how it all works. The FIA will post short CVs, or biographies to their website so we can fully see the qualifications each steward has.

Training people for the job… whatever next!?

And one final point that the WMSC clarified on is that of ex-drivers being allowed to officiate races. Some people feel it is a good idea because they have been there and experienced similar situations to those encountered in today’s Formula One. However, others feel that this could lead to bias decisions being made. Well, regardless of which side of the fence you fall on, the WMSC have stated that ex-drivers are eligible to apply for a steward’s super license. So it is possible.

This news of further transparency is definitely good and it shows the FIA are heading along a more correct path, especially when it comes to dealing the very people who keep the sport running – the fans. However, what the decisions have shown is just how inadequate the previous procedures were, and how short-sighted the FIA are. Hopefully though, things will improve for 2009 and we’ll see less idiotic penalties being handed out.

Original article by BlogF1.

Greater Transparency From FIA Stewards In 2009

Of course, it was Jarno Trulli who opted to drive back up the track during the first practice session at Singapore following a spin and the desire to get into the pitlane without having to complete another lap. For driving the wrong way around the race track, Trulli’s €10k fine was more than acceptable, even though the rules to allow his actions for extreme circumstances. But when it comes to race-day, it seems the stewards are flexing their muscles a little too much, in my opinion.

The incident on the penultimate lap of the Belgian Grand Prix still divides people the world over, and the fact that McLaren tried to appeal it in front of the International Court lets you know where they stood on the issue. For cutting the chicane and gaining an advantage without totally rescinding that advantage, Hamilton received a post-race drive-thru, which meant 25s was added to his complete race time. The result left McLaren without the win, and Ferrari suddenly with.

In Singapore, Felipe Massa was given a drive-thru for an unsafe release from a pitstop after the lighting system employed by the Scuderia let them down. Or to put it more accurately, the team member controlling the system let them down. Although Massa was relatively innocent in the infringement – he just goes when he’s told – the penalty was handed to Massa and therefore his team. In this case, a penalty is expected as Ferrari were being unnecessarily unsafe, but surely the punishment of waiting at the end of the pitlane for what seemed like an eternity was enough?

And then earlier today in Fuji, three drivers received penalties that have once again divided opinion the world over, and potentially ruined what could have been a great race at the front of the pack. Lewis Hamilton received a drive-thru for pushing Raikkonen off the track.

The penalty was given despite it happening at the start of the race while going into the first corner, and despite the fact that Ralf Schumacher (just to name one of many drivers) had committed the very same sin more times than I can remember without penalty.

Of course, the move by the McLaren driver was impetuous and immature, but at least he was racing, at least he was trying. Last season Hamilton’s startline antics were being compared to the most ruthless man to start a race in recent history, Michael Schumacher. Yet whenever Hamilton pushed then-team mate Fernando Alonso hard at the start or vice-versa, the stewards obviously overlooked it. In Belgium ‘07, the pair had a fantastic ding-dong at the start which saw Hamilton get pushed right over the apron as Alonso gave his team mate no room. Was Alonso penalised? No, of course he wasn’t, it was superb racing.

Felipe Massa was then penalised at Fuji for having an avoidable accident with Lewis Hamilton. The Briton just about squeezed himself in front of the Ferrari, but Massa then went off, and upon his return to the track clouted the McLaren and sent Hamilton into a spin. Massa was given a drive-thru penalty for his offence.

And finally, after the completion of the race, Sebastien Bourdais was reprimanded for exiting the pitlane and driving the only line that was surely available to him. Massa was coming down the racetrack, Bourdais could do nothing but enter the first corner on the inside, and Massa it seemed just kept coming across until the pair collided and the Brazilian spun.

For his offence, as it happened just prior to the end of the race (apparently 13 laps isn’t enough time to make a decision), Bourdais was given a post-race drive-thru, which meant 25s was added to his total race time. For the second time in as many races, the result has been changed after the celebrations, and the change could prove critical in the outcome of the drivers championship, as Massa was promoted up the points order.

So, are the stewards ruining races by being trigger-happy with penalties?

At the Italian Grand Prix which followed Belgium, the drivers were clearly responding to the issue raised by the Hamilton/Raikkonen incident and every time a driver may have received an advantage for cutting corners, they were very careful to rescind all advantage before attacking again. In fact, one driver handed back a place seemingly unnecessarily.

Of course, cutting corners shouldn’t be allowed, but when drivers are forced to get out of the throttle and be overly polite to one another, it kinda takes the thrill out of racing a little. The obvioius solution is to build barriers around the inside of corners to prevent drivers from skipping them, but the safety-police will no doubt have something to say about that.

And the Bourdais incident is just unfathomable. I do not understand what the Frenchman was supposed to do. From the angle of the video we have seen, and admittedly without all the information the teams and stewards have, it should have been Massa who received a penalty over that incident before Bourdais! And of course, it was just a racing incident, so really, no penalty is justified in my mind. It was a case of wrong-place-wrong-time.

It is my belief that the stewards are currently hacking Formula One to pieces with silly little penalties that take away all that is good about motor racing. When drivers are being unnecessarily dangerous, then fine, hand them a penalty. But when it is just good racing or simple racing incidents, why can’t the stewards just keep out of it? They are turning the sport not only into a joke, but a dumbed-down version of what was once an awesome spectacle of bravery and skill. The stewards a politicising Formula One where it isn’t necessary, I don’t blame people when they say can no longer stand to watch it.

The stewards need overhauling as soon as possible. Not before the next season, but before the next race. Otherwise, I fear the 2008 championships will be decided in the courthouse and not on the racetrack. And that just isn’t racing.

Original article by BlogF1.

Are The Stewards Ruining Formula One?

Toyota went to the stewards upon completion of the race to lodge their protest, but shortly later after the stewards had examined the video evidence and interviewed both drivers, they have decided not to take any action. Therefore, Sebastian Vettel will keep his fifth-place finish, and the points gap between the two teams will remain at 15.

Original article by BlogF1.

Toyota Lodge Protest Against STR, Stewards Throw It Out