US Grand Prix 2010

Just noticed your avatar for the first time...🙏🙏🙏

stormybadger8 said:I am in complete agreement—Rubens really should have received a severe penalty for that.

On the flip side, you have Michael Schumacher being penalized—bless his heart, I’ll always defend Grandpa😵—just for interpreting the rules and finding a loophole.

It is maddening to see that they aren't being penalized for the exact same thing now.

Personally, I don't see why Lewis Hamilton should be punished for removing the steering wheel; instead, the team should be held accountable for intentionally sending their driver out when they knew they didn't have enough fuel to finish Qualifying properly.

I've mentioned this before—there isn't actually a rule regarding fuel quantities and returning to the pits; there is only an internal FIA directive, which carries no real binding weight. And honestly, this $10k fine is a joke, let alone if they were to hand down something more substantial.

Besides, wasn't McLaren previously given a conditional penalty from the FIA? If they pull another stunt like this, shouldn't the team be banned for several years? They ought to enforce the penalties properly.😍

Look, the rule clearly states they have to bring one liter of samples. But the instruction just says they need to show up at the pits.

McLaren was just following the actual rule instead of some vague instruction.

You can't penalize someone just because there's a loophole in the regulations. That’s just straight-up nonsense. 🙄

redheron12 said:I've already pointed this out—there aren't actually any formal regulations regarding fuel amounts or pit lane return procedures; there's just an internal FIA directive that doesn't carry much weight. And honestly, this $10,000 fine is a total joke. You’d think they would hand down something much more substantial if they were serious about enforcement.

Besides, didn't the FIA give McLaren a conditional penalty a while back? If they kept up with these kinds of nonsense mistakes, the team could easily be banned from racing for several years. So, let them face the consequences. 😍

Exactly. It's like being slapped with a tiny $3.25 fine when they should have at least hit them with $100,000. At this rate, they'll probably just cruise to a win today and start the celebrations anyway..
If Grandpa were handed a $10 fine for every single mistake he made, he’d end up messing something up every single lap and wouldn't be complaining about the penalties anymore..
On the other hand, I do agree that because of these loopholes in the rulebook, we shouldn't be stripping drivers of points or track positions. Financial penalties seem like a much fairer way to handle it..

So you're actually saying Grandpa shouldn't have been penalized in Monaco ☕

Bradley Nelson2 said:So, you're saying Grandpa shouldn't have been penalized in Monaco either? ☕

Exactly...👍 I think there were definitely other things he should have been called out on, but regarding this specific situation? Not really—not until the rulebook is actually tightened up and made crystal clear.

Thomas Morales13 said:Yeah, it’s like we’re being punished with $3.25, when honestly, they should have slapped him with at least a $100,000 fine; he'll probably just cruise to a win today anyway and the celebrations will start immediately..
If Grandpa got hit with a ten-dollar fine every single time he messed up, he'd be tripping over himself making mistakes on every single lap just to avoid hearing anyone complain about penalties..
Then again, I suppose I agree that because of these massive loopholes in the rulebook, they shouldn't be stripping drivers of points or positions; just hit them where it hurts—their wallets..

100k$ 🤦

Arthur Doyle70 said:$100k 🤦

If we bumped it up to a million, people would definitely start complaining. A hundred thousand bucks gets you a pretty decent Mercedes, whereas ten grand wouldn't even cover a basic compact car like a Ford Fiesta...👍
I suppose a top-tier driver could easily swallow a million-dollar fine, but if the FIA hits a mid-field driver with a million-dollar penalty, that’s when you’d see real trouble and a massive outcry over how unfair it is...

Thomas Morales13 said:Sure, a guy like Hemich can cough up a million bucks without blinking but what happens when they slap a million-dollar fine on a driver who isn't pulling in those massive salaries? That's when you'll really hear the whining start...

take a break already☕

briskhound76 said:take a little break☕

Break from what? 👍

Thomas Morales13 said:Based on what? 👍

all those penalties they're handing out!😬

I mean, you can't really slap a guy with a million-dollar fine just because he ran out of gas, right?😉

briskhound76 said:It feels like we're seeing an endless wave of penalties lately! It's getting a bit much, don't you think?😬

You can't exactly hand him a million dollars just because he ran out of fuel.😉

No, that’s not quite what I meant. Like I mentioned earlier, a million dollars would definitely be overkill, but offering just $100 wouldn't be nearly as ridiculous as suggesting $10...
Arthur Doyle70 was basically hinting that even a $100k figure would be a joke when you consider someone like Lewis Hamilton. It’s probably an understatement, honestly.👍

Thomas Morales13 said:Nah, that's not what I meant; I was saying a million bucks would be overkill, but even $100k wouldn't be quite as ridiculous as $10...
I think Arthur Doyle70 was hinting that $100k is still a joke for someone like Lewis Hamilton, though maybe he wasn't quite...👍

Whoops, my bad... 🙂 you totally misread me here... 😁
The quote was about an absolutely absurd amount of money...☕

It seems to me that the rules were undeniably violated here, and even the FIA appears to be at a loss as to which regulations they should actually follow. It feels certain that Lewis Hamilton secured that pole position specifically because he was running so light—having virtually no fuel left in the tank—which is precisely what shouldn't be happening during that final lap...

I truly believe he wouldn't have managed to pull it off if everything hadn't aligned perfectly
in such a strange fashion. According to the rulebook, there MUST be at least one liter of fuel remaining in the tank at the conclusion of qualifying, as an official fuel sample must be taken and inspected to verify that the correct fuel was utilized...

That is how the regulations are written... yet, of course, they couldn't exactly extract that single liter or tiny bit of fuel for testing from him, since he arrived at the finish line empty, so where does that leave us? On one hand, he gained a rather unsportsmanlike advantage from that weight difference, and on the other, it simply doesn't feel fair to the rest of the field when rules apply to everyone except for one driver...

To provide an analogy, consider track and field, where an athlete undergoes a doping test and is required to fill a sample vial for verification; if they cannot meet those requirements within the specified timeframe or fail to provide the necessary fluid, they forfeit their result and their standing. In this instance, the FIA faces a similar dilemma, just through a different lens; there was no fuel available for the test, and furthermore, he completed a lap under conditions that others simply didn't have the opportunity to experience... though it seems the FIA is choosing to take a much broader view now...

In my estimation, it is almost certain that "the one on pole won't be the winner" and we can expect to see a Safety Car out on the track...

Jose Long4 said:I honestly think the rules were broken here, and even the FIA seems lost on what they're supposed to follow. It’s clear that Lewis Hamilton grabbed that pole position specifically because he was running empty—being light enough to fly in that final krug when he shouldn't have been...

I don't think he would have pulled it off if everything hadn't lined up exactly the way it did.
The rulebook states you MUST have at least one liter of fuel left in the tank at the end of qualifying. They need that sample to verify the fuel meets the specs...

That's how the regulations work. But obviously, they couldn't just pull a liter out of him since he showed up empty, so now what? It's a mess. Either he had an unfair advantage by being underweight, or it's just plain unsportsmanlike that the rules apply to everyone else but somehow don't apply to him...

Look at track and field. If an athlete goes for a doping test, they have to provide a sample. If they can't meet the requirements or provide the fluid within the timeframe, they lose their result and their ranking. The FIA should be doing the same thing, just through a different process. In this case, there was no fuel for the test, and on top of that, he completed a krug under Nevazec conditions that others simply didn't get. Though it looks like the FIA is choosing to look the other way...

For me, it’s a safe bet that "the first one on the grid won't be the winner" and we'll be seeing a Safety Car on track...

You've got a point. I'd add that the crowd favoring McLaren is acting just like they always do. To hell with the rules; they change them so constantly you can't even keep track anymore. Ideally, you shouldn't touch the regulations mid-season. If you do, then wins achieved under shifting conditions don't feel legitimate. This version of Formula 1 is becoming a caricature of itself—it's getting hard to watch...

Arthur Doyle70 said:Let’s not overcomplicate things, shall we? No need to make a mountain out of a molehill. 😉 If I could just give him a few spots to tighten up, honestly, that would be enough.
Was the FIA just running a complete farce? Honestly, it felt like it. When you're dealing with someone like McM, you have to wonder if even the old guard would step in to fix things.
He actually got knocked out of the race? But seriously, looking at the math, $10k and you're done with the whole thing. 🤷 Why bother digging all that up?

Nobody does anything without a reason, right? Driving a car without a steering wheel—not to mention standing up in the cockpit—is a blatant safety violation, plain and simple. It has to be penalized. I’m not saying they need to strip him of his pole position or take away his points; there are plenty of other ways to handle it. And honestly, a $10,000 fine? That’s almost laughable. I can pull that kind of money out of my bank account on a whim, so you know it’s nothing to someone like Lewis Hamilton. ☕

redheron12 said:Look, there’s really no need to get all worked up about it. There isn't actually a hard rule dictating exactly how much time a driver has before they need to hit the pits; it's more of a guideline than anything else. It's just one of those non-binding instructions, you know?

Good grief, mistybear8 is really losing it today. It’s funny, isn't it? Not too long ago, we saw drivers tossing steering wheels onto the track and even toward other cars. If you look at that from a strictly regulatory standpoint, shouldn't an entire team be disqualified for ten years for stuff like that? It makes you wonder where the line actually is.

To be fair, nobody actually said they shouldn't have done it—unlike what some people here seem to think. ☕

You know, if you actually tried driving down the interstate and decided to yank the steering wheel off for ten seconds just to see what would happen, you’d find out very quickly how much trouble you could get into. Is it really worth the risk? Probably not. ☕

redstag said:Look, the rule specifies they need to provide a one-liter sample. But the instruction itself just says they have to make it back to the pit box.

Ferrari chose to follow the actual rule rather than just following the instruction blindly.

I mean, how can you penalize someone for a loophole in the rules? That just seems like nonsense to me. 🙄

Well, actually, they can still be penalized for safety violations or other technical infractions. 😉

mistybear87 said:Nobody breaks the rules just for the hell of it. Driving a car without a steering wheel and then hanging out in the cockpit like that is a blatant safety hazard, and there has to be some kind of penalty for it. It doesn't have to be stripping him of pole position or his points—there are plenty of other ways to handle it. Honestly, that $10,000 fine is a joke; I pull in more than that just doing errands for my bank, let alone someone like Lewis Hamilton. ☕

Look, mistybear87, you can't even walk into a Chase branch to withdraw ten grand without them trying to talk you into a high-interest loan. 😁 😉 Yeah, looks like we’re on the exact same page.

Sure, they love to throw around that "safety concerns" line, but you really have to wonder whose safety they’re actually worried about in the end.
It feels a little ironic to him getting penalized for compromising his own safety when he’s basically the one calling the shots on that. From what I could see, there wasn't anyone else out on the track until the Safety Car showed up anyway.🤷

Any idea if we're looking at rain??