MAY 29, 2004

Webber gets a penalty

Mark Webber has been penalised for not lifting off on his fastest lap on Friday when he was passing the stopped Sauber belonging to Felipe Massa and as a result will have one second added to his lap in qualifying this afternoon.

Mark Webber, Monaco GP 2004
© The Cahier Archive

Mark Webber has been penalised for not lifting off on his fastest lap on Friday when he was passing the stopped Sauber belonging to Felipe Massa and as a result will have one second added to his lap in qualifying this afternoon. This will basically wipe out the driver's chances for the weekend, which seems a rather harsh penalty for what was a minor offence. The stewards at Nurburgring are headed by controversial Indian Nazir Hoosein, who has a history of unusual decisions notably at Silverstone in 1998 after which the FIA World Council concluded that the stewards had made several important mistakes, including applying the wrong rule to the situation and failing to communicate their decision as laid down in the regulations. The stewards accepted the blame and gave up their licences.