I quite like Maldonado for doing stuff like this, he's such a rogue. I can't stand people who cheat, but he wasn't cheating and it wasn't pre-meditated, it was just a spontaneous display of rage. He should have been punished heavierly... heavilyer... there should be a word for this... you can't have people deliberately crashing into other cars and look how much it's cost Perez, Maldonado should've been DSQ'd from the event and he would've had no cause for complaint if he'd been banned for a few additional races as well. Completely unacceptable behaviour, gutted for Perez who, like last year, looked on for a strong performance.
I hear ya AG, but having a hissy puts lives at risk, and not just those in a cockpit. Heat of battle stuff I can live with... Acting like a moron is unacceptable to me... no matter who pulls it.
I didn't watch P3 can someone tell me why he hit Perez in the first place? What did crashta think Perez had done to him?
Perez supposedly "blocked" a run of his in practice (so not like it's actually important), so after lowes hairpin and before the tunnel he turned into him. As several have said, Perez was off-line allowing Pastor through, but Pastor moved into him as he was going past just as he did versus Hamilton. Coulthard was irrate to the point I thought he was going to go knock his block off. Pastor was still angry as well because he stuffed it in the wall on the next lap... Or maybe he just is a jeckel/hyde driver? Who knows...
We all know the FIA are utterly inconsistent, but that is a very good point I shall rep you for! It is astounding that behaviour like this is tolerated, and I do believe his relatively low profile allows him a bit of free-reign... I would like to see him given a ban for a few races, then for him to come back and work on his racing, because he is a talented lad no question!
And how come Schumacher wasn't penalised for his immature hissy fit toward Hamilton at Barcelona, cutting out part of the course and slamming his brakes on in front of him before entering the pit?
It is indeed a shame that the FIA can appear so inconsistent. There is no place in motor racing for the sort of petulance one might associate with football – or at least, there shouldn't be! I am now about to say something which may sound like an excuse for the stewards; but it's certainly not. It is very difficult to be seen as consistent when the nature of incidents and motivation for them (if any) can vary so much. In my view, Maldonado's reaction should have received a disqualification from the event. As others have said, it is quite ridiculous to see running low on fuel as more serious than deliberately crashing into another driver. The comparison with Schumacher on Villeneuve in 1997 was, to some extent, seen as a collective punishment for what he'd previously got away with (not least the move on Damon Hill in 1994 to steal a World Championship, in my view). But it should not be like this. It should not have been allowed (tolerated and by implication: encouraged) in the first place. To some extent, Ayrton Senna can be considered as taking things too far; but it was the apparent tolerance shown toward him which suggested it might be incorporated as a career mind-set. And accumulating 7 WDCs is surely testament to the validity of the idea… When it happens in open wheel racing, it should be dealt with severely. People would quickly learn that there is NEVER any excuse for deliberately risking injury to another driver. Whether petulant or premeditated, it should be firmly stamped on. Motor racing sets an example to all manner of people, not least the more easily influenced road driver (who is most likely to be male and under 25). This sort of thing – along with deliberate cheating and driving in such a manner so as to put others at risk – is not acceptable. Never!
I've played a little bit of baseball in my time. If I were to deliberately use a bat to hurt a competitor, I would count myself somewhat fortunate if I ended up spending the night in my own bed. I accept this isn't exactly the same situation, but for all the safety in F1, these are incredibly dangerous pieces of equipment. Willfully ignoring safety rules in this sport is something for which there should be absolutely zero tolerance. I thought post 97 the Fuelbaron's International Assistance had embraced that concept. Obviously not. He should have been black flagged, end of.
Maldo what are you playing at, you showed the world last time that you are a talent and deserve a spot in F1. Now you have knoked that down a few pegs in peoples estimations and will do again the next time you do it =/ Pastor Maldonado = Joey Barton?
I think you have a good point, I mean to continue the analogy his defence was basically "I was walking past this guy just casually swinging my bat, when it gripped too much and accidentally moved in the direction he was"... On reading the FIA rules, I can only guess that the fact it was practice has saved him... He was clearly in breach of "driver protocol", rules 16-20, and thus the possible penalties were a grid-drop or exclusion. So it was either lessened because it was practice, they swallowed his awful excuse, or else it must be a contractual obligation to have all the better cars start at these places so as not to end up with the USA catastrophe... But I agree with you. Nonsensical decision really. If he does it again and kills some, a large proportion of blame should go to the stewards in this instance! Coulthard was outraged by it, so I can't really see whatever steward they have letting this go (unless it's Piquet Jnr!!!), but he did!
I did say after winning Spain he would get more hate! And so it begins, poor Maldonado and Rosberg, they should of stayed at the back where it was safer media wise!
I'm not sure they are getting hate because they are more successful... The Maldanado-Hamilton affair caused outrage from several quarters, and this latest incident was also quite ridiculous. He's not getting "more hate" now than before... And it wasn't even just Hamilton fans moaning before! Rosberg's defensive manoeuvres were unnecessary too according to the F1 regulations, so injustices through poor stewarding and the just generally unnecessary incidents have rightly drawn criticism. I don't know anybody who "hates" Rosberg for what he's done, or even dislike him, and to be honest if you can't have sympathy for anyone thinking Pastor is a bit of a King Canute, then that says more about you I suspect. Hate certainly isn't what this thread is about anyway.
If he hadn't been such a twat with Perez he wouldn't be getting all the flack. I doubt it would have mattered whether he had won in Spain or not, he has previous for using his car as a battering ram so the reaction would have been the same.
I think after his win in spain (and season so far), People thought maybe he had matured into a good driver but what happened yesterday has prooved otherwise
I don't see the the incident as quite as dramatic or dangerous as this thread suggests/insists but he was a twat for losing it and I had hoped we'd seen the back of this stuff from him. Still, Michael has never grown out of it so maybe it was optimistic to hope Pastor would so suddenly.
