Lewis Hamilton on Friday was told he was lucky to escape penalty in Bahrain.

Nico Rosberg’s defensive driving got the lion’s share of the media attention three weeks ago, but in fact it was Hamilton’s pass on the Mercedes that was a more contentious topic during Friday’s drivers’ briefing in Barcelona.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reported that the topic was discussed between the drivers and the FIA’s Charlie Whiting for no less than fifty minutes.

“In the end, it was resolved that Rosberg did nothing wrong. Lewis Hamilton was (unofficially) reprimanded.

“Charlie Whiting said the McLaren driver was lucky not to have been punished.”

The report said Whiting warned the drivers that similar cases, in which passes are made with four wheels off the circuit, will be penalised.

The McLaren drivers and Mark Webber escaped with mere reprimands on Sunday after being investigated by the stewards.

The stewards, including former F1 driver Mark Blundell, looked into whether the trio went too quickly for the yellow flag triggered by Heikki Kovalainen’s crash.

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh welcomed the “sensible” reprimand, rather than an actual penalty, because he insists his drivers were “off the throttle” in the yellow flag zone.

Steward Blundell, however, said on BBC terlvision that the drivers were reprimanded because their “personal sectors improved” within the yellow zone.

Meanwhile, HRT team boss Colin Kolles said after Sunday’s race that he is not protesting the outcome of the Spanish grand prix.

But because he is so unhappy with teams running what he calls “illegal” blown exhaust configurations, he vowed to protest at “some time” during the Monaco round next weekend.

Lewis Hamilton’s slim championship hopes are still alive after stewards decided not to penalise him on Saturday night.

With a Friday reprimand already over his head, the Briton was summoned to the FIA officials after collecting a bollard and almost Ferrari’s Felipe Massa after delaying the Brazilian during an out-lap in Q2 in Abu Dhabi.

The 25-year-old said on the radio that it had been Massa’s fault, to which the Brazilian replied that Hamilton must be “crazy”.

It has emerged from the Yas Marina circuit late on Saturday that the stewards have decided to take no further action.

“These things happen,” Hamilton had told reporters, before the team’s post-session press release made no mention of the incident.

The official document did, however, contain an apparent warning, with the Briton’s championship hopes resting on a race win and then the hope that his rivals run into trouble on Sunday.

“On the grid, I don’t have to worry about who’s around me — they all have to worry about who’s around them. I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

“It’s the other drivers who’ll have to worry,” added Hamilton. “I don’t have to be cautious at all in the race. Perhaps they need to think about that.”

Lewis Hamilton escaped with a reprimand on Friday after an on-track incident with Bruno Senna.

The 2008 world champion, who must win on Sunday to have a chance of this year’s title, was quickest in the night session at Abu Dhabi but afterwards faced the stewards.

Hamilton, momentarily held up by Senna’s slower HRT, had aggressively cut across the front of the Brazilian’s car into the pit entry.

But he received merely a “reprimand” for crossing the pit entry white line.

“It was nothing. Bruno and I have no problems, it was just a misunderstanding,” Hamilton told reporters.

“I’ll speak to Bruno to make sure everything is cool,” he added.

Hamilton’s pace looked good with a new wing that was working well, but off the track the 25-year-old is struggling with a slight illness.

“I’ve been on some meds, but I’m a bit better,” he confirmed. “I’m giving it 120 per cent.”

Pirelli is F1′s new tyre supplier for 2011-2013, it was announced on Wednesday.

A raft of other decisions were also announced after a meeting in Geneva of the World Motor Sport Council.

As a response to the spygate and crashgate scandals, it is “under consideration” that staff of F1 teams must hold “specific licenses” from 2011 that can be revoked by the FIA.

And in the wake of the controversy involving Michael Schumacher in Monaco, the FIA has ruled that there will be no overtaking even when the safety car pulls in on the last lap of a race.

Lewis Hamilton’s fine and reprimand after qualifying in Canada has resulted in a new rule requiring drivers to stay below a “maximum time” set by the FIA on in-laps

Next year, the 107 per cent qualifying rule will reappear, and the FIA has also banned F-ducts and approved the debut of the proximity rear wing.

“In the race, you can’t use it (the wing) for the first two laps at all, but after that if you’re within a second of the car in front then you will be able to deploy it,” McLaren’s engineering director Paddy Lowe said on Wednesday.

“So that will be very interesting.  That’s a FOTA initiative to improve the show and I think it’s very exciting.”

And for the return of KERS, the minimum car-plus-driver weight will increase by a further 20kg to 640kg.

Meanwhile, a “four-race probationary super license” has been approved for Renault’s official third driver Ho-Pin Tung.

(GMM)

A clear rule is likely to be written into the regulations as a response to the incident at the end of qualifying in Canada.

Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton was fined and reprimanded by stewards for driving too slowly on his Q3 in-lap and then stopping on the circuit, so that enough fuel was left in the tank for a test sample.

“We must not come to a situation where cars run out of fuel after their last lap because they want to be qualifying as light as possible,” FOTA technical chairman Ross Brawn said in Montreal.

The situation was reportedly discussed in a meeting on the Sunday of the race, with the FIA’s Charlie Whiting clarifying that drivers who run out of fuel during subsequent qualifying sessions will be summoned to the stewards.

And according to reports in Finland’s Turun Sanomat and Autosprint in Italy, the issue was further discussed on Monday at the F1 Commission, ahead of the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva on Wednesday.

It is believed a new rule will require a certain amount of fuel to be in the tank after the final qualifying segment.

(GMM)

Jun.13 (GMM)  F1′s governing body has issued a rule clarification after Lewis Hamilton was penalised and reprimanded for an incident at the end of qualifying in Montreal.

The McLaren pole sitter was fined $10,000 after driving too slowly on his Q3 in-lap and then stopping on the circuit, so that enough fuel was left in the tank for a sample to be tested by the FIA.

Not everyone was happy with the British team’s actions.

“I don’t know all the details so it’s hard to comment,” Mercedes team boss and FOTA technical chairman Ross Brawn is quoted as saying in Canada.

“But we must not come to a situation where cars run out of fuel after their last lap because they want to be running as light as possible.”

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, the situation was discussed on Sunday during a meeting of team bosses and the race director Charlie Whiting.

Whiting reportedly clarified that, in future, any car that runs out of fuel at the end of qualifying will be summoned to the stewards, risking penalties if the reason for the stoppage is not ‘force majeure’.

Jun.12 (GMM)  Lewis Hamilton has kept his pole position after a post-qualifying stewards investigation in Montreal.

The officials looked into whether the McLaren driver should be penalised after he drove slowly on his in-lap at the end of Q3.

The British driver was asked by his engineer to pull to the side of the circuit so that enough fuel was left in his tank for a fuel sample to be taken.

It has emerged that Hamilton was fined $10,000 and officially reprimanded, but the grid order for Sunday’s Canadian grand prix will stand.

Adrian Sutil had a big crash at the end of Friday’s opening practice session in Turkey.

The German driver went off the track at high speed on the exit of the Istanbul Park layout’s famous four-apex Turn 8 corner, incurring heavy damage to the Force India car.

“He said he had understeer and went off into the marbles, which then put him into the barriers,” the team said on its Twitter page once Sutil had returned to the garage.

It was otherwise a fairly quiet session under warm and blue skies and near-empty grandstands, amid rumours there is a chance of light rain for Sunday.

Bruno Senna had to sit out the initial 90 minutes of practice in deference to Friday test driver Sakon Yamamoto, who ended the session slowest of all.

Also making its 2010 debut was Red Bull’s first F-duct solution, fitted only to Sebastian Vettel’s car in order to provide a back-to-back comparison with Mark Webber’s RB6.

Vettel ended the session fifth, two tenths faster than Barcelona/Monaco winner Webber.

Lewis Hamilton topped the times in his McLaren, but he might now be reprimanded by the stewards for wearing newly-pierced earrings under his helmet.

The wearing of jewellery is prohibited according to article 2.2.1 appendix L of the sporting regulations.

Practice 1.1 -  Istanbul Park

.1º  	2  	 	Lewis Hamilton  	McLaren  	00:01'28''653
.2º 	1 		Jenson Button 		McLaren 	00:01'29''615 	00:00'00''962
.3º 	3 		Michael Schumacher 	MercedesGP 	00:01'29''750 	00:00'01''097
.4º 	4 		Nico Rosberg 		MercedesGP 	00:01'29''855 	00:00'01''202
.5º 	5 		Sebastian Vettel 	Red Bull 	00:01'29''867 	00:00'01''214
.6º 	11 		Robert Kubica 		Renault 	00:01'30''061 	00:00'01''408
.7º 	12 		Vitaly Petrov 		Renault 	00:01'30''065 	00:00'01''412
.8º 	6 		Mark Webber 		Red Bull 	00:01'30''097 	00:00'01''444
.9º 	8 		Fernando Alonso 	Ferrari 	00:01'30''294 	00:00'01''641
.10º 	14 		Adrian Sutil 		Force India 	00:01'30''501 	00:00'01''848
.11º 	23 		Kamui Kobayashi 	Sauber 	        00:01'30''615 	00:00'01''962
.12º 	15 		Vitantonio Liuzzi 	Force India 	00:01'30''853 	00:00'02''200
.13º 	7 		Felipe Massa 		Ferrari 	00:01'30''867 	00:00'02''214
.14º 	16 		Sebastian Buemi 	Toro Rosso 	00:01'31''011 	00:00'02''358
.15º 	22 		Pedro de la Rosa 	Sauber 	        00:01'31''238 	00:00'02''585
.16º 	10 		Nico Hulkenberg 	Williams 	00:01'31''355 	00:00'02''702
.17º 	9 		Rubens Barrichello 	Williams 	00:01'31''464 	00:00'02''811
.18º 	17 		Jaime Alguersuari 	Toro Rosso 	00:01'31''735 	00:00'03''082
.19º 	19 		Heikki Kovalainen 	Lotus Racing 	00:01'32''161 	00:00'03''508
.20º 	18 		Jarno Trulli 		Lotus Racing 	00:01'32''990 	00:00'04''337
.21º 	20 		Karun Chandhok 		HRT 	        00:01'34''876 	00:00'06''223
.22º 	25 		Lucas di Grassi 	Virgin Racing 	00:01'35''137 	00:00'06''484
.23º 	24 		Timo Glock 		Virgin Racing 	00:01'35''583 	00:00'06''930
.24º 	21 		Sakon Yamamoto 		HRT 	        00:01'36''137

(GMM)

FIA officials in Spain have confirmed reports the stewards are investigating the pitlane incident during qualifying involving Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg.

The pair almost collided when Ferrari’s Alonso exited the garage into the path of Mercedes’ Rosberg, who had to take avoiding action and nearly struck the pitwall.

Engineers on the Williams pitwall flinched at the near-crash, and Rosberg said on the radio that he thinks the Spaniard should be penalised.

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel were reprimanded for their pitlane stoush three weeks ago in China, although it is believed the FIA’s Charlie Whiting further admonished Vettel’s moves when the drivers met for their pre-race briefing in Spain.

Alonso said in Barcelona: “Hopefully they (the stewards) take into consideration there was no accident, no touch, no performance gain from the move.”

(GMM)

Apr.28 (GMM)  Lewis Hamilton will be penalised if he does not tidy up his driving, according to Fernando Alonso.

The pair clashed memorably during Alonso’s ill-fated single season at McLaren in 2007, but have since confirmed their professional friendship is now intact.

But three years after the turmoil of 2007, the Spanish press is generally no fonder of Hamilton.  At a media event in the country this week, Alonso was asked if he thinks the British driver is favoured by F1 officials.

In Malaysia, Hamilton received a warning for weaving in front of Vitaly Petrov, and then in China he was merely reprimanded for his pitlane stoush with Sebastian Vettel.

“No, I don’t think Hamilton is in any kind of privileged position,” Ferrari’s Alonso is quoted as responding by the Spanish sports newspaper Marca.

“The truth is that perhaps the decisions have been a little inconsistent, because other times it (Hamilton’s moves) would be punishable, but I don’t think it’s important.

“Lewis has had some warnings and if he does something in the next race, however little, there will be penalties because of the last two races,” added Alonso.

Apr.21 (GMM)  Lewis Hamilton has contradicted Martin Brundle’s claim that F1 stewards this year are being too lenient.

Former driver and British commentator Brundle said on Tuesday that Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton should have been penalised rather than merely reprimanded for their wheel-to-wheel pitlane stoush in China.

Brundle also said Jenson Button should have received a penalty for unduly slowing behind the safety car in Shanghai.

But after several years of harsh judgements from the stewards at grands prix, Hamilton said he welcomes the seemingly more hands-off approach of 2010.

“Racing stewards this year have been the best that I have probably experienced in formula one, I think,” the Briton said at a sponsor event at Kyalami in South Africa.

Despite claims by his fellow drivers that the manoeuvres were dangerous, Hamilton was warned but not penalised for weaving in front of Vitaly Petrov in Malaysia two and a half weeks ago.

“More racing has been out there.  You know there are drivers who are (now) not afraid to have a real battle with someone without having the worry of receiving the penalty,” added Hamilton.

Apr.20 (GMM) Martin Brundle has revealed that he would push for harsher decisions and penalties if he was a formula one steward.

So far in 2010, to give additional credibility to the officials’ adjudications, experienced former drivers including Alain Prost, Johnny Herbert and Alex Wurz have acted as stewards at grands prix.

But although Brundle argues that the “brutal and sometimes unfathomable penalties” of the recent past have now been eradicated, he thinks the stewards are now being too lenient.

The former McLaren driver, a full-time commentator for British television since retiring in 1996, wrote in his BBC column that Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton should have been penalised for their pitlane stoush in China.

“They both received a reprimand, but what does that mean? How long does a reprimand last and how many are you allowed to collect before a real penalty?” said Brundle.

“They are lucky I wasn’t the resident driver steward for the weekend because I would have strongly recommended dropping them both some penalty places on the grid for the next race in Barcelona.

“The decision taken has set a very dangerous precedent,” he charged.

Brundle also said race winner Jenson Button deserved a penalty for unduly slowing behind the safety car prior to a race restart.

“I wouldn’t have been a popular steward with my former McLaren team but that job is not a popularity contest. Ask any referee,” said the Briton.

The McLaren driver’s weaving in front of Vitaly Petrov in Malaysia was a theme throughout the Chinese GP weekend, discussed at length in the media and in the drivers’ briefing by many of Hamilton’s opponents.

The 25-year-old – as well as Sebastian Vettel – was then reprimanded by the stewards in Shanghai for a pitlane incident, but it was Vettel who complained, saying afterwards that Hamilton “was keen to touch me”.

Referring to the Sepang weaving saga, Hamilton told reporters in China that he did not understand “why everyone was fussing about it”.

Asked if he thought the issue was overblown, he answered: “Yeah — they seemed to be talking about it for some time.”

F1 chief executive Ecclestone also thinks Hamilton’s rivals should focus harder on their own driving.

“What are they talking about?” he is quoted as saying by the Mirror. “Isn’t this sport all about racing?

“I thought Lewis had a fantastic race. He drove really well and they should stop complaining and get on with the racing.

“I loved watching his performance in Sepang. I bet the fans did too. It (the reaction) was a whole lot of moaning about nothing,” Ecclestone added.
(GMM)