Drivers call for penalties for weaving

By Edd Straw
Friday, April 16th 2010, 12:09 GMT

Formula 1 drivers have asked FIA race director Charlie Whiting to punish anyone weaving on the straight during a race with a drive-through penalty.

During Friday afternoon's regular meeting with Whiting, the drivers moved to clarify the regulation allowing only one move to defend their position - as laid out in Appendix L of the FIA's Sporting Code – after Lewis Hamilton was given a black-and-white warning flag for weaving across the track in front of Vitaly Petrov in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Jarno Trulli told AUTOSPORT: "It is written in the rules that you cannot move more than once, but he got only a black-and-white warning flag. Most of the drivers think that, no matter whether it is Lewis or anyone else, you shouldn't do it.
"And if you do, Charlie should not give a reprimand but a penalty so that we all know not to do it. We don't want a yellow card, we would prefer to have a red card.
"I think Charlie got the message and he's happy with it. It's just a clarification of the rule."
The Italian added that Hamilton's driving was not "a big story" and that his case was being used as a means to clarify the regulation.
"The drivers would like it to be clear whether or not you can do that," said Trulli. "It's not a comment on Lewis, because I didn't actually watch it.
"People were concerned because he moved a few times. But he claimed that he was not actually blocking, he was trying to break the tow, which is fair enough.
"But Lewis was an example of what the drivers do not want to do. For the future we all want to be clear that we have to get a penalty so that it is clear that each driver knows what you can do."
The FIA Sporting Code states that "manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers, such as more than one chance of direction to defend a position, deliberate crowding of a car beyond the edge of the track or any other abnormal change of direction, are strictly prohibited."


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82932