Wolff: FIA did not want to upset Ferrari fans
Toto Wolff has suggested Charles Leclerc avoided penalty on Sunday because the FIA was afraid to disappoint Ferrari's supporters.
Lewis Hamilton complained about the aggressiveness of back-to-back winner Leclerc's defence as the 21-year-old raced to victory at Monza.
"I guess the stewards woke up on a different side of the bed this morning," said the Mercedes driver. "I had to avoid colliding with him a couple of times but I guess that's how the racing is today."
Leclerc admitted he was "very on the limit" with his aggression, but said he changed his style after an aggressive Max Verstappen was also not punished in Austria.
"Today it's also thanks to Austria that I've managed to win. I'm happy to race like this," he said.
Hamilton's boss Toto Wolff, though, thinks a penalty was in order.
"But can you imagine if the stewards had done a 5 second penalty? You would need a police escort to leave the circuit," he said.
However, Wolff said he will not be making a big deal about it with F1's new-in-2019 race director Michael Masi.
"I have enough problems in my life that I don't need another one by entering into a conversation with Michael Masi and the FIA," said Wolff.
Masi defended himself anyway, saying the stewards "proceed on the basis that drivers are allowed to fight on the track".
"Approaches are changing and it gives results," he added, referring to the new usage of the black and white flag for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
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Well, that's some short on memory and highly relative opinion. Does not fit Mr. Wolff at all.
Mercedes the perpetual sandbaggers and sore losers.
You could try bribing the stewards.
That's the problem with spoiling the people. Once they gift you a victory (in Canada) you expect it whenever you don't win. Lewis, is that how the racing was done in your days?
Hey Toto, Ferrari fans weren't the only fans at Monza. According to you there weren't any Ferrari fans watching the Canadian GP which allowed the stewards to penalize Ferrari. Hamilton quit your whining....your car wasn't fast enough and your skills not up to it either. Toto and Lewis grow up you're not as good as you think you are.
Maybe... but if they’re not that good, what does that say about the teams 150+ points behind? Lol. Just teasing mate. I don’t really care for them but they really are that good. In the end all the teams whine like little boys, don’t act surprised. It’s a staple in F1. Grow up.
Hamilton tried to push is car up the outside of a left right left chicane expecting Leclerc to jump out of his way so he could then turn the right chicane first. but Leclerc was already on the right. it was Hamilton's miss judgement.
Hamilton was following the one car width rule - but Charles decided to break it- how reckless!
I HOPE Masi is prepared to start seeing more potentially high risk and fatal accidents on the F1 grid if he perfers the drivers to touch before issuing a penalty.
Charley Whiting would never have allowed this. If Lewis had decided to stay put and not move over then both he and Charles would have crashed and neither would have finished the race and a serious accident could have happened- thank god ot was Lewis overtaking and not Mad Max!
Dangerous, reckless driving to win an F1 race is not acceptable and rules are created for a reason.
We say we want the driving to be hard and more exciting - let's hope we dont go back to the old days when F1 drivers lives were only as safe as their last race! NOT A GOOD way to go!
Masi needs to reconsider this change in the overtake boundaries before we see another death happen in front of our eyes. ONE is to much !!!
So Ferrari get away with dangerous driving not once but twice. Leclerc gets, in effect, no punshishment despite being found guilty and Vettel's poor driving, again, costs him in effect nothing other than a slap on the wrists
Going forwards drivers just have to know they can get away once with pushing a competitor off the track, who'll overtake on the outside knowing that!
Nice one FIA
The inconsistency of how rules are applied is a constant.
As is to be expected writers support one of the two drivers, not unreasonably.
It is worth observing "The Mercedes boss also believes that younger drivers are more aggressive as they are not necessarily in the championship battle and can, therefore, take more risks."
What is one to make of this?
He should look at his own team in 2016 when going for the title was a lot tighter. Hamilton ended up in a messy overtake incident where the two Mercedes took each other out. There was plenty of risk there, and not in spite of going for the title but precisely because of it.
The fact that Lewis and Mercedes are milking the media for the last drop in this incident, but not lodging an official protest, speaks volumes.
As a background and context consider this:
-GP Canada Hamilton fails to pass Vettel. Stewards penalise Vettel, Lewis wins, big public outrage "let them race," and Ferrari files a protest.
-GP Austria Verstappen runs Leclerc off the track. Charles startled "what the hell was that?" Indignation dies down. Verstappen regards leclerc a sissy, a pushover. Public accepts that "let them race" is in. Charles promises to adjust his aggressivity."
-GP Monza Lewis pushes hard but fails to overtake. Runs off the track and loses 2nd place to Bottas. Both Mercedes drivers acknowledge they couldn't do it. Lewis says "my tyres fell of the cliff." Bottas locks in a chicane and gives his one chance away.
This all now sounds terribly Watergatish: Don't let it die down as long as you can get something out of it.
Never mind the writers, just read Palmers column on the BBC sport site. Wonder how many former drivers think is right Leclerc was found guilty but faced no punishment?
Ok, now I finally get it:
If Max does it, it’s not ok.
But if Charles does it, it becomes ok because Max was wrong to do it in the first place!
If you do it to Mercedes, it’s never ok, never…
Even when they do it to themselves.
Mercedes is always supposed to win.
If Seb does it, throw the book at him.
It’s much easier to hit a man when he’s down.
If it happens in the back of the pack, nobody saw it.
We may have a ways to go with this stewards stuff…..