Holy Crap that was a BIG crash!!! F1 needs to allow testing again to get those back markers up to speed. This BS is getting ridiculous.
Yeah, I was told that something was gonna happen early, but I jumped outta my seat when that happened!!!
107% rule is coming back next year... "It stipulated that a driver who did not lap within 107% of the pole position time during the hour-long session the day before the race would not be eligible to compete in the race, subject to the discretion of the stewards." Wikipedia...
Why? Because he got penalized? Because he served his penalty? Or because he had enough lead to maintain his position, after serving his penalty?
Kovalainen's time (1:40.882) was about 103% of pole (1:37.587), so that wouldn't have taken him out of this race. It might clean up things at the back end, but even the HRT cars were right around 107% at this round (5.2 seconds off at a track where pole is ~97.5 seconds) (edit - OK, I'll actually do the math - 105.2%, well within the proposed cut-off) It might have kept more cars off the grid at the early rounds, though. (source: http://www.crash.net/f1/results/161022/1/european_grand_prix_valencia__qualifying_times.html )
I was LIVID when Ferrari was still bitching about Hamilton still being in second. Yeah, that's what happens when you are fast, reel off a bunch of faster laps, get a gap and serve your penalty. Its what you are SUPPOSED to do. The penalty was a drive through. He did it. If the stewards had said "he looses four places" then he looses four places, but that wasn't the penalty. And on Weber, I have been on record a long time that he is a hypocrite. He bitches about lappers all the time, or defensive driving. Until he is on the other end. At least to his credit, he didn't blame Hekki. I watched it over three times frame by frame. Weber was going to the inside for the next corner, Hekki began to move over and give him MORE room to the inside, then Webber tucked in behind him for some reason, then tried to dive to the inside again a bit too late. Couple that with Kovi getting out of the throttle to give him even moore room and you have Webber getting a low orbit. Webber was all shunning of Vettel post Qualifying, now that he is on the back foot, we should see some strong stupid from the Ozzie.
The problem, to me, was the penalty didnt fit the crime... the penalty should've been much worse, putting him back in the pack w/ the Ferraris. Coming in and getting back out in 2nd place was like not even being penalized at all... Maybe he did have something for Vettle, but once Hamilton started closing Vettle picked up his pace every time.
It was a brilliant/dick move that Hamilton pulled off depending who your were cheering for. He purposely slowed and waited for the pace car to be almost out, the went on past sticking the ferrari's behind it. He knew exactly what he was doing. F1 generally doesn't allow gaining an advantage by manipulating race procedures. Interpreting the formula in creative ways is done every day, but not manipulating the race procedures themselves and that is exactly what he did.
I thought I heard them (announcers) say that everyone would've been waved around, until the safety car picked up Vettel, as he had already passed pit exit. If that's true, the penalty on Hamilton would've been for passing the safety car, before being told to. Again, if that's true, the penalty definitely fit the crime.
