Just been briefly metioned on BBC sport website that he has been excluded from his 3rd place finish in the Australian Gran Prix last weekend for giving miselading information to the stewards in the invetsigation into Jano Trulli. Jano Trulli has been reinstated into 3rd place.
Have they altered the system now and it's the driver who wins most of the races who is the Champion rather than the one with most points?
He's Not Well Liked He's started only his third season in F1 and already been penalised loads. He would have got away with more if he was a Ferrari driver.
Also, he would have got away with more if it wasn't for those pesky kids. I've only just heard on the news that Toyota won't be appealing against Trulli's penalty and now this... it's almost farcical.
It's the right decision though Trulli was in 3rd place when the safety car came out but between the time of the safety car coming out and it joining the front of the pack trulli slided slightly off the track which allowed hamilton to overtake him. Then when the safety car was in front Mclaren radioed Hamilton to tell him to allow trulli to take the position back. Hamilton slowed to a crawl and pulled right to the other side of the track. Trulli who was left with the options of overtake the crawling Hamilton or stop his car on the track obviously overtook him for third place. After the race both drivers were called to see the stewards and in that meeting Trulli explained what happened from his view. Hamilton explained that he was third and Trulli overtook him. Completly left out the fact that he'd been instructed to let/force him to do so and so the stewards gave Trulli a penalty of 25 seconds (equivelent to a stop go penalty). Toyota filed an intention to appeal but after reading the regulations discovered that you actually can't appeal against a 25 second penalty which is the only reason they withdrew their appeal. The stewards have obviously in the meantime heard about these radio conversations and have called Hamilton back in to question him. During this questioning it was decided, quite rightly in my opinion, that Hamilton had knowingly and deliberatly withheld the information about the radio conversation and the fact that he had given Trulli no option but to overtake. For this reason the stewards have decided that Trulli should be given his place back as he did nothing wrong and Hamilton has been docked all points I believe for lying to the stewards. The correct decision in my opinion. Hamilton shouldn't have lied.
Were you in the room when Hamilton was questioned? Cos if not, how the hell do you know what he said, even if the stewards said so that only makes it hearsay, not fact.
But surely. However ti came about he did the correct thing in allowing Trulli to reclaim his position.I suspect the stewards thought Hamilton was in third place when the safety car intervened.
He was in third place when the safety car intervened. From what I understand Trulli was in third but slipped off the track into fourth just before the safety car became 'live'. Mclaren thought they were doing the right thing by letting Trulli take the position back. I think the only problem has come from Hamilton leaving out vital evidence at the original meeting with stewards. I think what it does show is that stewards should wait longoer to investigate things and gather information first. They could have checked the data and found out about the radio conversations before meeting with Hamilton and Trulli.
Links to what he said here. http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/f1releases/2009/Pages/f1_stewards_decision.aspx
