Crashed drivers blame Hamilton
2011-05-30 07:59
IN HOT WATER: Drivers have identified McLaren's Lewis Hamilton as the cause of their aborted races in Monaco on Sunday.
Author: GORDON HOWARD
MONTE CARLO, Monaco - Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado have criticised Lewis Hamilton and
demanded heavier sanctions against him in a controversial aftermath to
Sunday's explosive 2011 Monaco Grand Prix.
Massa (Ferrari) and Venezuelan rookie Maldonado of (Williams) each had their races wrecked by collisions with the Briton who finished sixth for McLaren after a tumultuous race.
Hamilton, 26, later criticised race stewards and rival drivers in an outburst during an interview with the BBC when he suggested he was being victimised, quipping: "Maybe (it's) because I'm black!"
Defending World champion Sebastian Vettel won the race, his first victory in Monaco, to extend his lead over Hamilton in this year's tussle for the Drivers' championship.
Hamilton, the first mixed-race F1 champion, attempted to pass Massa through the hairpin on lap 34, but they collided.
TOO AGGRESSIVE
Seconds later Massa crashed into the barrier in the tunnel after getting on to the "marbles" out after being passed by Hamilton, another incident the Ferrari driver blamed on Hamilton for causing damage to his car.
Hamilton, who was given a drive-through penalty, refuted the claims and said that Massa had turned into him.
Massa said: "He tried to pass me on the kerbs (when) I didn't think it was possible to overtake. He was too aggressive, I think. Then, when I got to the tunnel, my car was damaged and I went on the dirty part of the track and hit the wall. What he did today was unbelievable. Not just with me, but with other drivers as well."
Asked about the penalties given to Hamilton, who was also given a 20sec penalty for a later incident with Maldonado, Massa said: "I think he needs to be penalised again, and in a good way - otherwise he doesn't learn.
"They need to think about something for him, or he will not learn."
'SAME MANOEUVRE'
Maldonado, who tangled with Hamilton in a similar collision at Ste Devote in the closing laps, said he felt the Englishman had been "too optimistic".
"I think he tried the same manoeuvre on me that he tried on Felipe. Exactly the same, he was too optimistic.
"This is a very narrow track and you must be very careful with your overtaking. I made many passes during the race and I never had problems because I was very convinced to do it. He was maybe in some trouble because of his position - he is fighting for the championship."
Maldonado lost a potential 10 points because of the accident - what would have been his first scoring finish for Williams.
