Maldonado deserves to be banned from Formula 1.

[Eric Parker]

Maldonado is a cash cow for Venezuelan oil money; he has shown to be rather mediocre as a driver. I doubt a race ban gets handed down, but you never know. I think he did turn into Hamilton, but really a racing driver could stab someone and claim complete innocence (sound familiar?), its part of the mentality that separates them.

 

[Sérgio Marques]

I fear they still will arrange a way to give a penalty to Hamilton, just because is him!

 

[ufunacaoenn]

I fear they still will arrange a way to give a penalty to Hamilton, just because is him!

I wouldn't be surprissed.

 

[Ivo Simons]

5 grid penalty for Maldonado and Hamilton got a warning.

 

[Kyle Puttifer]

Is that all?!

 

[My993C2]

Banned? no
Penalized? yes

 

[Kyle Puttifer]

Didn't a certain German get disqualified from the 1997 WDC for a similar incident?
Inconsistency at its finest.

 

[Bradley Vanian]

Exactly Kyle.

 

[Mitchell Smith]

Why focus on the negatives?

Hamilton has been a brat all season, "Is it because I'm black??"

Now Pastor has been a prat too. He will be punished accordingly, I doubt the FIA takes our opinions into consideration.

So. Happy point for Formula One. Turns out Bruno Senna CAN drive! And bloody well too if I may say so myself!

 

[Ivo Simons]

Didn't a certain German get disqualified from the 1997 WDC for a similar incident?
Inconsistency at its finest.

That was 14 years ago..
And was all different incident in terms of reason and outcome.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

"Is it because I'm black??"

Haha, yes that was the lamest thing he ever said
+1 on Senna

 

[Kyle Puttifer]

That was 14 years ago..
And was all different incident in terms of reason and outcome.

Taking someone out for REVENGE is more petty than taking someone out for the championship. On that basis, Maldonado should be given a WORSE punishment than being excluded from the WDC. Especially as it wasn't Hamilton's fault that Maldonado missed out on Q3, that was down to his teammate.
The reasons may have been different, but the intentions were the same.
PS I'm not one of those Hamilton fanatics, in fact I still refer to him as Ramilton after the Monaco race but, regarding this incident with Maldonado, Hamilton is innocent in my view.

 

[Ivo Simons]

As you say also now that they are complety different incidents. You cant ask for consistency of the stewards then.
Also you cant compare incidents that happened 14 years ago with incidents today.
Every incident is one that stands on itself imo. The factors that happens with incidents are never the same so a different outcome is always on hand.

 

[Bradley Vanian]

But the FIA actually get stricter as time goes on. Senna took out Prost at the start of the Suzuka race purposely for the championship at very high speeds. No penalty. Drivers would take drivers out with intention before that and get no penalty either. Formula 1 rules get stricter and stricter, so I don't understand how Maldonado dosen't have a larger penalty.

 

[Michael Brown]

Maldonado got a 5-place grid penalty for clashing with Hamilton, starting 21st. Hamilton got a reprimand (a formal warning).

Edit: No, I don't think Maldonado deserves to be banned from F1. Hopefully this penalty will teach him how to react after a small amount of contact.

 

[Bradley Vanian]

This is Hamilton's onboard footage.

 

[Sérgio Marques]

Comparing this video with stewards decision:

No / Driver 3 - Lewis Hamilton
Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Time 14:48:00
Session Qualifying
Fact Causing a collision with Car 12.
Offence
Involved in an incident as defined by Article 16.1 of the 2011 FIA Formula One Sporting
Regulations
Penalty Reprimand

If Hamilton get the reprimand for causing a collision, then for what was PM penalized?

What a joke these F1 stewards are.

 

[Bradley Vanian]

Hamilton probably got a reprimand for the tiny contact (which was 50/50 in my opinion) at the Chicane a few corners before.

 

[Fredrik Arbegard]

You have to remember that the stewards have access to far more cameras, angles and equipment to review each incident than we will ever have so I'm confident that they had good basis for their decision.

 

[Sérgio Marques]

"Is it because I'm black??"

I don't believe in it, but it's always too easy to penalized him and if there's no reason to do it, well he still get a reprimand, "surely because his black".

If today was Lewis making what Maldonado did, I'm sure he would exclude from the Championship and if I was him that's what I would do, before they find a motive to it.