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• Lewis Hamilton has accused race leaders of trying to dominate their dominance in the sport.
• F1 commissioner Mika Salo has responded to the allegations.• Salo says that rules are rules for everyone.• For more racing stories, visit www.Wheels24.co.za
A well-known commissioner responded to allegations by Lewis Hamilton that officials are trying to stop his dominance of Formula 1.
Although the FIA later overturned the two super license penalty points that treacherously brought him closer to a race ban, Hamilton received two five-second penalties in Sochi on Sunday that cost him the victory.
“B *******”, Mika Salo, a former Ferrari and Toyota driver who was among the Sochi stewards, responded when asked by the Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat about Hamilton’s accusations.
“That is not true at all. The rules are the same for everyone.”
Hamilton’s penalties were for making pre-race practice starts outside the designated area at the end of the pitlane. The Mercedes driver, instead, made his practice start towards the end of the actual pit exit.
“It’s pretty clear,” Salo insisted. “Hamilton made his starts from the side of the track. The last one was near the white line that marks the end of the pit exit.”
Interestingly, even team boss Toto Wolff admitted that it was a technical infraction of the rules, even though he believes the penalties “seem to go against him (Hamilton) sometimes harshly.”
Valtteri Bottas, who won the race, also backed Hamilton’s penalties.
“We always have a meeting on exactly where the practice starts,” he told Finnish broadcaster MTV.
“The team shows us where it can be done, and that’s where I started my practice. I think it’s pretty simple,” added Hamilton’s teammate.
Bottas also claims he would have won Sunday without Hamilton’s penalties.
“When Lewis stopped and I was in the lead, I was able to make a pretty good gap, so I don’t think it would have changed the result too much. Maybe it would have been second,” he said.
F1 race director Michael Masi also supported Commissioner Salo’s defense of the FIA officials.
When asked about Hamilton’s accusation that the FIA is trying to stop his dominance, Masi replied: “No. From my point of view, it is very simple.
“The FIA is a sports administrator, so we monitor compliance with the rules and the stewards are independent decision makers.
“When there is a violation of the rules, it doesn’t matter who broke them, whether it’s Lewis Hamilton or any other driver,” Masi added.
