‘It doesn’t matter if it was Lewis or any one of the other 19 drivers’: Race director Michael Masi insists Hamilton was not picked on after 10-second penalty in Russian Grand Prix
- Lewis Hamilton complained about the rules after Sunday’s 10-second penalty
- The Brit was penalised for performing practice starts in an unauthorised area
- It likely cost Hamilton a record-equalling victory at the Russian Grand Prix
- Hamilton is one win short of Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 grand prix wins
Lewis Hamilton has been told there are no special rules for him.
Race director Michael Masi spoke out after the six-time world champion complained that officials picked on him by imposing a 10-second penalty for performing practice starts in an unauthorised area before last Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix.
The punishment cost the Briton a likely win, leaving him one short of Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 victories but still leading the championship by 44 points.
Lewis Hamilton complained about the officials after a 10-second penalty was imposed on him
But Sunday’s race director Michael Masi insisted there were no special rules for Hamilton
Masi said: ‘If Lewis wants to raise something, as I have said to him before, the door is always open.
‘I am more than happy to discuss anything. As the FIA, we are the sporting regulator to administer the regulations. We have the stewards as an independent judiciary to adjudicate those.
‘There was an infringement and it doesn’t matter if it was Lewis or any one of the other 19 drivers.
‘If a breach of the regulations occurred, the stewards will consider it on its merits.’
