|
Jun 2019
8:37am, 10 Jun 2019
7,760 posts
|
larkim
Right or wrong, the Vettel penalty? Right, IMHO, but a shame it had to come to that.
|
|
Jun 2019
8:44am, 10 Jun 2019
43,770 posts
|
runnerbean
Right decision esp after he said himself if he had moved over he would have been passed !!
|
|
Jun 2019
8:52am, 10 Jun 2019
7,761 posts
|
larkim
I suspect Vettel was annoyed as much with himself as he was with the penalty, hence his post race petulance. It's driver instinct to keep your foot in as hard as possible, and if Hamilton had been perhaps 50yds further back going into the corner in the first place, Vettel would have got away with that mistake and the way he returned to the track without issue. But I agree, right decision - and I'm not particularly a Hamilton fan, so I dont think my opinion is particularly coloured by fandom.
|
|
Jun 2019
8:56am, 10 Jun 2019
1,022 posts
|
um
Would Vettel have done better to give up the place, assuming then there'd have been no penalty, then focus on trying to re-overtake Hamilton?
Well - wouldn't have been worse.
|
|
Jun 2019
9:20am, 10 Jun 2019
7,762 posts
|
larkim
He might still have been penalised as the penalty wasn't for gaining an advantage, it was for an unsafe return to the track.
Jolyon Palmer on the BBC podcast noted that the penalty is the most lenient possible, which is a fair point. Big consequence (well, not really as Vettel won't be challenging for the title overall this year), but small penalty.
Part of me does wonder whether Vettel had much more control that he could have offered, but he didn't seem to make much sign of struggling with the manoevre that he did manage (once he was back on the track), so perhaps that also fed into the stewards attitude.
|
|
Jun 2019
6:35am, 11 Jun 2019
1,274 posts
|
Pothunter
There is precedent for penalties in similar situations.
It could have gone either way, but his petulant display afterwards requires further punishment. A footballer or cricketer who disrespected the ref/umpire’s decision like that would be extremely lucky to not be banned for the next match.
|
|
Jun 2019
7:04am, 11 Jun 2019
7,774 posts
|
larkim
Maybe the footballer wouldn't, but agree that his behaviour was very childish, as her had time to calm down.
Plenty former F1 drivers agree that the penalty was harsh, seemingly. I still think it looked fair enough as an outcome.
|
|
Jun 2019
9:55am, 11 Jun 2019
31,698 posts
|
HappyG(rrr)
I think perhaps they should look at "in race" penalties (as the technology exists for it) e.g. DRS enabled for Hamilton for 2 subsequent laps or Vettel horsepower reduced by 50 bhp for 2 laps or something, to allow an on-track overtake, rather than 5 seconds that is only applied post race? The equivalent was a stop-go penalty through pits, but that is too long and harsh. There's no equivalent on track penalty that can be applied.
But I think while the penalty was harsh, it was a consistent application of the laws, so I wouldn't criticise the stewards, but would suggest reassessing the laws for maintaining an emphasis on safety but with as much on-track racing opportunity as possible.
It was a good drama though!  G
|
|
Jun 2019
10:05am, 11 Jun 2019
7,775 posts
|
larkim
They could apply some sort of lap delta requirement or maybe give the driver a choice - next lap must be 3s slower than an average of the last 3, or 5s added after the race. Vettel would have had a chance to drop back but then try to fight it.
|
|
Jun 2019
10:16am, 11 Jun 2019
31,701 posts
|
HappyG(rrr)
Yeah, good idea larks. Of course, virtual safety car is regulated by average speed and the drivers know what that has to be. But there could even just be a penalty "button" or mode for the car, that would reduce its speed or power. Plenty of ways actually, come to think of it. Might have a double advantage of enforcing safety rules and increasing overtaking.
|
