Maldonado

[markfarrell9572]

5 place grid penalty for his contretemps with Hamilton today.  Did he get away lightly?  And was a reprimand for Lewis justified?

[Ian]

A 5 place grid penalty for that is pathetic, should have been much harsher, and I can't understand why Lewis got a reprimand, Maldonado swerved into him, if the positions were reversed you can guarantee Lewis would have been punished far worse.

[David]

Can't help think if the tables were turned and Lewis was in the wrong the penalty would have been greater. 

[Jericoke]

Coulthard and Brundle were sure that Maldonado would be kicked out of the race.

I'd like to know what Hamilton was reprimanded for.  Probably his reputation at this point 

[John S]

No doubt that Maldonado got off lightly for what was clearly a pop at Lewis, although I'm sure that Pastor would have got a bigger penalty if Lewis had not been able to run in Q3.  The decision is a bit pathetic if you ask me, they banned DRS use thru Eau Rouge on safety grounds so it appears the FIA wants to save drivers from themselves but not from other competitors. 

I think the reprimand for Lewis is about his initial lunge for the line past the Williams. Everyone says the show needs spicing up with overtaking but no one seems to have told the Stewards.

[cosworth151]

I was shocked to see how lightly Maldonado got off. I didn't see Hamilton do anything wrong. Lewis looked to be ahead of Pastor on the overtake when Pastor moved into him. The second hit was clearly intentional.

Maybe Maldonado is getting in practice for his eventual trip to NASCAR-land.

[lkjohnson1950]

I think Lewis was reprimanded for touching wheels with Maldonado at the chicane. the Stewards don't like contact. I also think Maldonado was kind of telling Lewis not to take him for granted. I believe he was a bit angry about the move at the chicane. Only the two of them know just how dangerous it truly was.

[Ian]

Lewis's move on Maldonado at the chicane was good and safe, Maldonado left the door open and Lewis went through, Maldonado just swerving into Lewis was downright dangerous and I also think he should have been disqualified from this GP.

[Alianora La Canta]

I was all for sending the pair of them to the back of the grid (and put one of them in the pit lane to avoid a repetition of the incident). To me, Pastor caused the first collision in the chicane and Lewis the second one. Neither crash was acceptable, but if Schumacher parting at Rasscasse didn't warrant being sent home, neither did either crash in qualifying.

[Ian]

Sorry Ali but I don't see how Lewis caused the 2nd coming together. 

[Cam]

What everyone appears to have missed is that that just prior to Maldonado swerving into Lewis, Lewis made a very sudden and significant feint to the right.  I reckon Maldonado was just returning serve, not realising that Lewis was going to perpetuate the pissing contest and try and drag him up Eau Rouge.

I dont believe Maldonado intended to collide with Lewis anymore than Lewis intended to collide with Maldonado.  I have to believe that he is not that stupid or lacking in a sense of self preservation.

The whole thing reminds me of my 9 and 6 year old daughters when they are intent on winding each other up, the level of each retaliation goes up a notch.  Then of course they come to me utterly convinced that the other one started it. 

[stealthhaggis]

Maldonado knew exactly what he was doing. Just because he did not like getting passed by Lewis at the end is no excuse for turning into him deliberately. It is an absolute disgrace that he was only given a 5 place grid penalty as he still thinks that it was unfair! The guy is delusional and he was damn lucky it was against Lewis and not another driver or he would have been punished appropriately. He showed no remorse when talking to the BBC afterwards which only shows he would do it again in a heartbeat. Apparantly Lewis is not allowed to drive his car anywhere on the track especially when someone else is around and collides with him. I find it ridiculous that people make excuses for accidents when it involves him especially when other drivers do the same thing and are defended to the hilt. I hope Maldonught gets what is coming to him and Schumacher shows him how to really pull off a move like that!

[Monty]

Lewis was completely innocent in the first collision and had every right to be fuming that Maldonado tried to shut the door on Lewis' fast lap.
It is probably true that Lewis was letting Maldonado know that he wasn't happy (I do think that initially he deliberately 'jinked' right) but he wasn't doing anything dangerous.
Maldonado then deliberately turned left and in my opinion had every intention of hitting Lewis. It was incredibly dangerous and he should have been excluded.

[Alianora La Canta]

Sorry Ali but I don't see how Lewis caused the 2nd coming together. 

Because he was doing all the moving - Pastor was on line and had the corner.

[Monty]

Unusually I do not agree with Ali
Also I think there is some misunderstanding of which 'coming together' we are talking about.
During the quali session Maldonado's lap had been ruined by what was going on in front of him. Lewis was still at a good pace and Maldonado should have made sure he kept out of the way. Instead Maldonado tried to fight and almost blocked Lewis.
I think this is what we are refering tom as the 'first coming together'.
At the end of the session, I suspect that Lewis slowed down to 'wave' to Maldonado to let him know that he wasn't happy. As I said, I do think that initially he deliberately 'jinked' right as part of his 'wave' but he definitely wasn't doing anything dangerous.
After that Lewis did not put in any steering input but Maldonado steered left and hit the Maclaren. Definitely Maldonado's fault and I think, deliberate.