jacfan wrote:GhoGho wrote:RE30B#16 wrote:
Lewis Hamilton looked like a winner before disaster struck. It makes no sense to me that a red light should be on at the end of the pit lane if the pit lane is "open." It was a stupid race management blunder that should be changed immediately.
Bob Varsha made a comment about Hambone brushing off Raikkonen after the incident, but I saw it a different way. Those two, no doubt, have been complaining about the rule which ended both of their respective days. For sure McLaren and Ferrari will be giving race control, Bernie Ecclestone, and anyone else who will listen an earful. No driver was at fault and the red light ruined a great drive by Nico Rosberg as well.
Not a blunder by race control at all!
The light was red to stop cars from exiting the pit lane before the rest of the field had passed the pit exit, preventing the exiting cars from slotting into the wrong position in the line.
Same thing happened to Massa last year, who got a DSQ for not stopping.
This year the light was double the size and included an extra flashing light, so no excuses, Hamilton screwed up plain and simple.
It was a stupid mistake by Hamilton and even he admitted it. Don't making excuses for the guy when he himself said that "he saw the light but couldn't stop in time".
I am
not trying to make an excuse for Hambone or Rosberg. The rule is the rule, and knowing such, Nico and Lewis should have been more aware of the lights. I
am saying that if the pit lane is "open," it should be
open! In NA motorsports, there is never a red light at the end of an "open" pit lane. If the pitting drivers get out of sequence, the caution period continues until race control sorts out the order. This is how it has been done for decades in America. The race control blunder is having such a stupid rule in the first place. It invites incidents like what happened to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
I think what happened robbed us of some spectacular driving by the likes of Nico, Lewis, and Kimi Raikkonen.. I am, however, thrilled with the result. I'm not saying there was a bad call, just a suspect rule to begin with.
