bonjon1979 wrote: ↑16 Jul 2017, 11:55
iotar__ wrote: ↑15 Jul 2017, 16:57
It doesn't get any clearer in terms of impeding so FIA produced this
:
"...potentially have been affected by the presence of Hamilton at Turn 16, he was not impeded,”
- it means basically that it was a clear penalty but we didn't give it because we like some drivers more.
- Potentially? Potentially means driving was dangerous and cost time unless (potentially) aliens would teleport the other car. What other potential situation would cause this loss of time to be theoretical and not deserving a penalty? This way you can justify any cheating.
- This completely fraudulent organization has a nerve to give grid penalties for slowing down under yellows to help another marketing chosen one and shout about safety.
Have to say as a Hamilton fan it looked like a slam dunk penalty. He was dawdling in the final corners preparing for his lap.
There is no excuse but I do think that the stewards have made a rod for their own back bay admitting that SEB wasn't disqualified because they didn't want to effect the championship. Essentially that IS a decision that affects the championship. Now with this Hamilton non penalty it feels like they're trying to even it up. maybe it's the right call in some ways, they both got a let off but where does it end? Each situation needs to be judged on its merit otherwise you have stewards determining the fate of the championship and it will be devalued because of it.
Without having access to the data I think it is not that black and white. Gros indeed lost time on that corner due to Hamilton. But he lost it mainly on the exit of the chicane, that is clearly visible in the footage by Hamilton pulling away. If he would be able to follow Ham then he would be a few tenths of a second quicker which is the time he claims he has lost a( he would even have a tow)
It might be that Grosean was not physically impeded by Hamilton, in the sense that he could have taken the chicane at qualifying speed without crashing in to Hamilton. The fact that Hamilton was accellerating into the corner while Gros was braking into the corner makes that difficult to judge. But I think that is likely since Ham was aiming for the perfect exit (and thus highest possible apex speed) and the apex was were they came closes to each other.
So in that scenario the time was lost due to Gros unsure about what Hamilton was going to do or why he was lingering on end of the straight, stayed too long on the brakes or was too late on the throttle and thus compromised his exit.
If the data shows that Gros did not braked earlier or harder than other laps then it becomes a matter of judgement. Personally I would say it was a penalty, because Ham presented Gros with a situation which was almost impossible to get right, scrapping his fastest lap seems like a suitable one. But it is not that clear cut.