McLaren fined for pitlane incident

[Ben Tusting]

The McLaren team has been fined $50,000 for the Brazilian Grand Prix incident that triggered a fire in the pitlane.
Heikki Kovalainen left the pits before the fuel hose was detached from his car and the fuel spilt sprayed Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari and caused a fire in the pitlane.
The stewards deemed Kovalainen's release had been unsafe and fined the team, also giving the driver a 25-second penalty that dropped him from ninth to 12th.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79602

 

[Richard Kay]

More evidence of inconsistent stewarding if you ask me. Massa got a drive through in the race at Singapore when he did the same thing. Also worth pointing out is the fact that Kovalainen was investigated for the incident that saw him and Fisichella spin exiting turn 2 at the start yet nothing was said about Kobayashi's dangerous blocking of Nakajima that lead to a far more dangerous crash.

Personally I am fed up with it, I hope Todt (because let's face it, Ari has burnt a few too many bridges of late to win that election) makes this an area that he will sort out and make consistent. The Stewards should be part of the team that travel with Charlie Whiting and remain the same through each Grand Prix with posibly a local Clerk of the Course to add some local input, albeit not with any kind of veto or casting vote.

 

[Ivo Simons]

Indeed consistency is the key for the future. Teams now to know what they get if they do something wrong. Albers also got fined then Massa not and now Kovi also got fined. And Massa his action was also very dangerous.

 

[Mark Birney]

Well, Kovalainen DID engulf a Ferrari, that's a damnsight more dangerous than... Well... Not engulfing a Ferrari at Singapore.

Remember, the team were punished as a result of it, not just Heikki.