Shock, outrage, furious anger. Gridcrasher rounds up the reaction to one of the most controversial grands prix in F1 history
“This is the worst judgment in the history of F1, the most perverted judgment I have ever seen. It’s absolutely unacceptable when three functionaries [the race stewards] influence the championship like this.”
Niki Lauda, former F1 driver, gets off the fence
“This is motor racing and if there’s a penalty, then there’s something wrong because I was ahead going into that corner, so I didn’t gain an advantage from it. We were still able to race at the next corner and I gave him his spot back, and I think it was fair and square, so I think it would be absolutely wrong.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren driver, quoted before he knew about his penalty
“This is racing.”
Ferrari team chief Stefano Domenicali, when asked about the Hamilton/Raikkonen incident
“It is disgraceful the stewards feel Raikkonen was not at fault in forcing another driver off the track. A similar piece of driving at Eau Rouge or Blanchimont could have lethal consequences. Whether the stewards have done this to keep the championship close or keep their friends at Ferrari happy, this is an utterly lamentable decision.”
F1 Fanatic blog
“They can’t take it away from Lewis. They can take it away from Formula One, but they can’t take it away from us because we won the race. Politics is one thing; we’ve been bitten twice - or on a few occasions - by decisions by the stewards but, in this case, I thought what Lewis did was correct.”
Anthony Hamilton, Lewis’s father, quoted before they did indeed take it away from Lewis
“This was a heat of the moment stuff and a difficult decision for the stewards. It’s easy to criticise them, but Ferrari had a case too.”
The Times’ F1 corresondent, Ed Gorman, gives the stewards the benefit of the doubt
“I don’t think it’s for us to comment on what it does for the sport. I think for us it’s disappointing, but we’ve got to make sure we focus on the next race.”
McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh takes sporting diplomacy to new heights
“The decision to demote Lewis Hamilton to third place here yesterday will long be remembered as being farcical and disgraceful by all in motor racing.”
David Tremayne, The Independent
“Our car is slightly superior to that of our opposition in slippery conditions, so when the rain came we were reasonably confident that Lewis would be able to press home his advantage. He duly took the lead, finished first on the track, but then received a 25-second time penalty. After the race we registered our intention to appeal it.”
McLaren boss Ron Dennis keeps his cool, although inside he must be seething
“This is not what sport or F1 is meant to be. Winning a race should be a black-and-white business. The driver of the car that crosses the line in first place is the winner and the glory is his. End of story.“
Pete Gill, Planet F1 website
F1 WAGs: Nicole Scherzinger househunting with Lewis Hamilton
Rumour mill: Fernando Alonso will join BMW Sauber in 2009
41 responses so far
1 Andy // Sep 8, 2008 at 10:44 am
In what way was it a shock penalty? It could be seen coming a mile off - we were liveblogging the race and called it, and I doubt we were alone…
“Hello - the stewards are investigating Hamilton and Raikkonen. Get your spotters’ guide out - here comes the Ferrari International Assistance rapid response vehicle, pulling out of the garage.”
2 Ollie Irish // Sep 8, 2008 at 11:10 am
Andy, I used the word “shock” as in a disturbance, not a surprise. Thx for your comment though.
3 Joker // Sep 8, 2008 at 12:30 pm
“This is not what sport or F1 is meant to be. Winning a race should be a black-and-white business. The driver of the car that crosses the line in first place is the winner and the glory is his. End of story.”
Sorry, but I can’t take experts seriously that make such statements. So if a team decides to run a V10 engine or an otherwise irregular car, “the driver that crosses the line in first place is the winner and the glory is his”? I don’t think so. This is not the first time that the results had to be changed because of some penalties.
That said, I can imagine that Hamilton and McLaren fans don’t like this decision. As I said in the other thread, it’s harsh but justified and will hopefully applied to other drivers as well in a similar situation. They are supposed to drive on the track and nowhere else.
4 jelena // Sep 8, 2008 at 12:38 pm
i’ll copy it here again:
FIA IS A DISGRACE !!!!!!!!!
THIS IS A SPIT IN THE FACE FOR ALL F1 FANS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS A DISGRACE TO THE SPORT WHAT AN EMBARASMENT I AM SO UPSET
HOW THEY ARE PROTECTING FERRARI AND ATTACKING HAMILTON AND MCLAREN IS JUST NO LONGER TOLLERABLE…..
OMG THIS IS HORRIBLE.
AND HAMILTON SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PENALISED AT ALL!!!!!!!!!
WHY DID THEY NOT PENALISE KIMI IN FRANCE FOR ENDANGERING OTHERS WITH THAT HUGE METAL THING FLYING OFF HIS CAR ?????? OR MAYBE FOR RUNNING OVER HIS MECHANIC ??? OR FOR CRASHING INTO KOVI IN TURKEY, OR FOR WHAT HE DID TO SUTIL IN MONACO ???? OR MAYBE FOR RACING KUBICA IN THE PIT LANE IN CANADA ????
KIMI GETS NO PENALTIES AND HAMILTON AND MCLAREN GET THE WORST POSSIBLE PUNISHMENT FOR EVEN THE SMALLEST THINGS
GO TO HELL FIA !!!!
GET FIA AWAY FROM FORMULA 1, THEY ARE RUINING IT !!!!!
PLEASE SAVE FORMULA 1 !!!
PLEASE SAVE FORMULA 1 !!!!!
besides, why wasnt kimi punished for pushing lewis off track in the first place. if you look at it that way, it’s all kimi’s doing !
5 jelena // Sep 8, 2008 at 1:03 pm
to the joker :::::
it will be applied to the other drivers, BUT NEVER ON FERRARI….
YOU CAN NOT DENY THAT FERRARI HAS HAD SOME TRICKY SITUATIONS, AND THEY WERE NEVER PUNISHED !!!!!
COME ON:
SUTIL-KIMI IN MONACO
KIMI-HEIKKI IN TURKEY
KIMI’S ENGINE IN FRANCE AND THAT SHIT FLYING ALL OVER THE TRACK
MASSA AND SUTIL IN THE PIT LANE
KIMI RUNNING OVER A MECHANIC
KIMI RACING KUBICA IN THE PIT LANE
FERRARI DONT GET PENALISED AT ALL, EVEN FOR THE MOST OBVIOUS SHIT, AND MCLAREN TAKE IT UP THE BUTT EVEN FOR SOME PETTY STUFF.
AND WHAT IS SUPER STUPID, AFTER THAT WHOLE CHICANE THING (WHICH IS, BY THE WAY, KIMIS FAULT BECAUSE HE PUSHED LEWIS OFF TRACK), KIMI DID REGAIN HIS LEAD JUST BEFORE RUNNING OFF TRACK AND CRASHING….SO THEY FOUGHT EVEN AFTER THIS….AND NOW THEY DECIDE THIS THING IS REASON GOOD ENOUGH TO PUT HIM FROM 1ST PLACE TO THE 3RD PLACE……
THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER DONE THIS TO FERRARI, I ASSURE YOU.
JOKER I CANT BELIEVE THE SHIT YOU JUST WROTE.
6 Max // Sep 8, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Was Hamilton expecting Kimi to just slow down and let him through the outside of that corner? Hamilton CLEARLY had no space.
I don’t think he would’ve been so ballsy if the runoff would have been a gravel trap instead. It almost looked like he had planned it. Gravel trap would have been an obvious game-over for Hamilton.
We saw some fantastic racing there, it just wasn’t legal.
7 Andy // Sep 8, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Ah, well, yes - shock in that sense definitely. No question!
8 Melissa // Sep 8, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Get over it. This is the quintessential F1. I’ve seen worse and no one had their daddy whine about it to the media. It isn’t fair, it’s F1.
9 michael in virginia // Sep 8, 2008 at 9:06 pm
hasd Hamilton not bombed up along Kimi at a pace way too hot to make the turn, let alone tha pass, he would have never been “pushed off” the course (so conveniently). again, had he not made this much more than optimistic move, hed have been a few lengths behind Kimi, who had slowed to properly execute the turn in, apex, and exit, unlike Lewis. tough situation, but the call by the stewards is far from outlandish. all this outrage is a bit over the top.
10 broker // Sep 8, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Hamilton deserved the penalty.
11 jelena // Sep 9, 2008 at 8:19 am
the decision is unjust and stupid.
12 Nat McBride Lockwood // Sep 9, 2008 at 8:55 am
It’s not a spit in my face. Forza Ferrari. Lewis didn’r give back the lead and did gain an advantage, or else how was he still managing to race Raikkonen into the 2nd corner- me thinks people moan too much without watching! Hamilton band wagon, it’s a joke and I said it would happen. About time he didn’t get all he wants!
13 Harry Barracuda // Sep 9, 2008 at 9:35 am
Well let’s face it where would Ferrari be without Bernie, and where would Bernie be without Ferrari?
The only think I don’t understand is why so many people are surprised.
14 JAME WAR // Sep 9, 2008 at 9:51 am
To Nat mcbride lockwood and broker, you two must have been born stupid!!!!!!! what race were you dicks watching? try using your peanut brains before posting comments. STUPID
15 Berger // Sep 9, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Hahaha, the berk cheated.
Get over it.
Maybe he won’t do something wrong at Monza, but I doubt it…
16 JAME WAR // Sep 9, 2008 at 3:54 pm
@Berger. how old are you ??????????? six!!!
listen to your school teachers and do your homework, this is BIG people website OK, NOW F**K OFF, Try visitng the zoo
17 Berger // Sep 9, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Done that: The De Brazza monkeys are one of my favourites along with the Western Lowland Gorillas and I am also quite fond of the Red Ruff Lemurs, the Mongoose and the closely related Meerkats (suricata suricata).
Hamilton is still a cheating twat with a bimbo gf, low IQ fanbase and major psychological issues vis-a-vis his blatantly obvious and nauseating self-infatuation.
18 JAME WAR // Sep 9, 2008 at 4:54 pm
LOL. kids!!!!!!! @Berger.
19 JAME WAR // Sep 9, 2008 at 5:31 pm
@Berger: if you go and put your glasses on when looking at the screen you will see that it was before the beginning of the last curb on the left hander that kimi shoved lewis off the track he effectively left him no where else to go. This must have been a manouvre he has seen schui do on many many occasions im just waiting for the ferrari boys getting his advice on how to go for their oponnents wheel when cutting them up. Also i do believe schumi is the only person whilst driving for ferrari that has had ALL OF HIS CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS REMOVED in a season for blatant cheating but i bet you cannot remember anything about that one.
20 Berger // Sep 9, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Ah yes, Michael Schumacher.
My other most hated driver along with Hamilton…
21 Real F1 // Sep 10, 2008 at 12:25 am
@Berger
I just like to see real racing & this was just one example of a good race. So far what I see from you are a bunch of childish comments. This is a discussion not a bashing session so I am not going to waste my time schooling someone like you.
The race stewards got it wrong this time. Everyone who has a sense of what racing really is can clearly see that Kimi & Lewis were going at it really hard & both deserve true congrats for both of their individual efforts to make this a very exciting race. Leave it to the FIA to mess up a good thing.
Berger, if you have facts or anything that you can show that proves to this community that LH should be hated so much please show us. It’s not his fault you can’t drive a F1 car so maybe you should stick to the Arm Chair Criticism you are known for.
22 jelena // Sep 10, 2008 at 8:19 am
done talk to this berger guy you guys.
he’s a loser.
23 jelena // Sep 10, 2008 at 8:20 am
dont* talk to him.
LOL
24 Berger // Sep 10, 2008 at 8:53 am
Fact is throughout history there have been drivers like Gilles Villeneuve, Ronnie Peterson, Ayrton Senna, Jochen Rindt, Tazio Nuvolari, Bernd Rosememeyer, Nigel Mansell and Juan Pablo Montoya who are MORE exciting and MORE aggressive than Hamilton or Schumacher but without the constant cheating.
Schumacher cheated nearly every race, Hamilton does the same.
Difference is Schumacher got away with it because he was in one of the hallowed Ferraris and Hamilton doesn’t because he is in one of Ron’s cars and Bernie and Max (in particular) hate Ron.
That doesn’t make it fair, but at the end of the day both Hamilton and Schumacher are dangerous serial cheats. Neither are/were respectable F1 drivers.
25 JAME WAR // Sep 10, 2008 at 9:40 am
@Berger. I see you had a nice time visiting your family at the zoo. Note to your pea brain: Kimi pushed him aside , u need to lay down the crack pipe buddy . that or the fanboy ferraris goggles,
26 Berger // Sep 10, 2008 at 10:12 am
I don’t even support Ferrari.
Throughout my many years of watching F1 I have always despised cheating F1 drivers like:- Didier Pironi, the original Nelson Piquet, Michael Schumacher and now Lewis Hamilton, the arch cheat of current F1.
27 JAME WAR // Sep 10, 2008 at 10:36 am
@Berger. Seriously what drugs are you on? I assume you, like many others, never followed Lewis pre F1 to see how good he is . Now I do think I am talking to a ‘chimp’ LOL. Do feel free to post your nonsense
28 Berger // Sep 10, 2008 at 10:57 am
Hamilton SO GOOD?
How comes Alonso started karts later and entered F1 much younger?
Hamilton has been supported by the McLaren corporation since he was 8 years old and it still took him till 22 to get into F1 and then only because Montoya quit or was forced out of McLaren.
Under normal circumstances Hamilton would have been 23 by the time he got a race drive.
Really quite old for a guy who was uniquely spoon fed and sponsored all the way up the lower echelons of motorsport into F1.
If Hamilton was so amazing how comes he spent numerous years in lower formulae?
People like Tommy Byrne, Kimi Raikkonen and Bruno Senna won in every series they entered first time out and skipped entire series.
Lewis painfully worked his way up resitting several formalas and taking 14 years to make F1.
Look at Bruno Senna, after a couple of years racing (and without the benefit of Ron’s over generous massive handouts, like Hammy had) he is nearly in F1…
29 JAME WAR // Sep 10, 2008 at 11:21 am
@Berger. Got a Ferrari?
Not quite good enough at driving?
Are other boys faster than you in the wet?
Then you need:
Ferrari International Assistance (FIA)
This exclusive Ferrari only membership club has many benefits. Including:
Anti overtaking assurance
Been overtaken? Feel a bit silly? Don’t worry, we’ll rule out the other party even if it embarrassingly obvious that they’re faster than you
Exclusive access to a secret “second lane” in the pits
Just to make things a little bit easier we’ve arranged a private second lane just for you
Guaranteed world championship?
Had a crash? Need to win the world championship? Don’t worry just limp across the track and take off your nearest championship title contender - we’ll do the rest
A bit strapped? Need extra cash?
Simply get one of your team to tell someone else how you make your cars. We’ll guarantee a $100,000,000 windfall so that the rich get richer!
Bits falling off your car? Looking a bit dangerous?
At Ferrari International Assistance we operate a “blind eye” policy just for Ferrari drivers
Been a bit silly? Taken off another driver whilst following the safety car?
It’s ok, as long as you didn’t hurt yourself. I mean, who are Force India anyway?
A bit bored? Want some extra action?
With FIA plus you can take part in a number of additional membership activities including the popular “kill your pit crew” game
Not sure when you might need us next?
Relax. Check out our track record. We’re confident that we’ll be able to make something up on the spot that will get you out of any pickle that you might find yourself in
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* Order our FIA plus pack and receive exclusive access to our Nazi style orgies *
Ferrari International Assistance - Making it up as we go along for over 100 years
Get my point NOW????????????
30 Berger // Sep 10, 2008 at 11:38 am
Cutting and pasting McLaRON fanboy tin foil hat conspiracy bollocks does not enhance your argument.
Alonso beat Ferrari’s German cheat twice in a Renault (note, not a Ferrari): not my fault if Hamilton cannot manage it, is it?
31 JAME WAR // Sep 10, 2008 at 12:09 pm
That’s exactly the answer I expected!
When someone has nothing to say,he simply says ***^******
32 Berger // Sep 10, 2008 at 1:48 pm
At least I typed my own thoughts not something cut n pasted ad verbatim from http://www.wehateferrari-and-felate-lewishamiltoninourdreams.com
33 JAME WAR // Sep 10, 2008 at 2:04 pm
@Berger. You need HELP!!!!!!! Drugs won’t work for your pea size brain, try getting some friend in real life, not on net chat rooms.
VERY SAD PERSON!!!!!
34 Berger // Sep 10, 2008 at 2:14 pm
To LAME WAR: You have posted more times than I have and you are posting the popular opinions, whilst I am posting the unpopular one.
So who of us (if either) is trying to garner friends on this forum?
Oh, it can only be you…
By the way, since it is your penchant to frequently deride my intellect from an ill-informed standpoint, lets put some clarity on the situation: my IQ is in the top 5 percentile of the population - is yours? ! ? !
Thought not…
35 JAME WAR // Sep 10, 2008 at 2:18 pm
[my many years of watching F1 ] says berger, BITCH PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Next time try turning your Tv (ON ), it helps . maybe you go blind everytime lewis WINS , I feel your pain
LOL
36 Berger // Sep 10, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Ah, well I must have good eye sight then seeing as the self confessed legend of current F1 only has 8 pathetic wins, less than losers like Barrichello and DC.
Perhaps when he has more than 30 wins he can start calling himself a legend.
Anyway if the balding tit doesn’t win this year, he has probably missed the boat.
Superior drivers like Vettel and Kubica are starting to make their mark in F1.
37 JAME WAR // Sep 10, 2008 at 2:34 pm
@Berger.// I just hate the shit you chat without thought….. IQ?? Bitch please. Now i know how sad your life is…. OVER AND OUT
38 JAME WAR // Sep 10, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Now i know you STUPID, that last comment says it all.
39 Berger // Sep 10, 2008 at 3:41 pm
The last comment was your own - DOH!
Don’t be so hard on yourself.
By the way, what is your nationality?
I ask this question because English is clearly not your first language.
Perhaps in a few years you may get a rudimentary grasp on it, good luck!
40 Melissa // Sep 10, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Schumacher was not a cheater. He was THAT good. He did 3 pit stops and finished 2nd in Spain with only 5th gear in a Benetton. You have to be good to pull that off. He won in the pits with a 10 second penalty - did he cheat because his pit stall was beyond the finish line? Really?
There are 2 things that make a winning driver: being good and being lucky.
I will value the memories of watching him blow my mind. He was THAT good.
41 Melissa // Sep 10, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Oh, and Juan Pinball Montoya is a good driver but like Damon Hill, he isn’t a good racer.