Ray wrote:Forgive me for beating a dead horse, but why is it okay for Hamilton to fight to unlap himself and put Alonso at risk and yet it's NOT okay for Massa to expect Sutil to give way to the leader in pit lane? I was always brought up in every type of racing to ALWAYS give the leader the right of way in any situation. The leader is the leader and you must yield to him at all times.
Utterly different situations. As others have pointed out, Hamilton did nothing to endanger Alonso, with the latter even appearing to slow to let him through.
You've in fact answered your own question in a way - they key phrase is "in the pit lane". Sutil was like any other back marker and technically has three corners in which to let Massa through. To operate in any other manner, for example having to suddenly brake (possibly even holding up other cars that are lapping him) in the middle of the pit lane just to let a lapping car through is disingenuous and dangerous.
Ray wrote:
I think Massa was completely at fault for turning Lewis around and he deserved the penalty. I don't however think that Massa deserves a penalty for his pass on Webber. Yeah it was tight, but they were nowhere close to colliding and no one was coming out of the pits. No harm, no foul. Lots of drivers got away with going over the pit entry line without a penalty, that is probably why he wasn't penalized.
Massa drove completely off the circuit to pull off that overtaking move - ie. in breach of the rule that Hamilton was given a drive through penalty for in Spa. He also drove through the red and white hatched area that cars are NEVER supposed to go through. Very dangerous precedent to set that an overtaking car may go off circuit and through forbidden zones just so they get past.
Regardless of whether or not he should have been penalised in this instance, at the very least the FIA should be issuing a public clarification stating that such a move is dangerous and will be punished in the future.
