AUGUST 28, 2017

Steward defends decision to penalise Raikkonen

F1 steward Mika Salo has defended the decision to penalise Kimi Raikkonen at Spa.

F1 steward Mika Salo has defended the decision to penalise Kimi Raikkonen at Spa.

The Ferrari driver hit out at his penalties for failing to lift the throttle for the double waved yellow flags caused by Max Verstappen's retirement.

But his Finnish countryman Salo, a former F1 driver, defended his call.

"It's a rule -- it was a double yellow," the former Ferrari driver, who was a FIA steward at Spa, told the Finnish broadcaster C More.

"We got information showing that everyone lifted the throttle with the exception of Kimi," Salo insisted.

"There were people on the track side of the fence pushing the car. Anything can happen and Kimi cannot make that judgement. A rule is a rule -- it's that simple."

(GMM)