By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief
Nico Rosberg received a 10-second time penalty for his part in the final lap crash with teammate Lewis Hamilton in the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, the penalty does not hinder the German’s finishing position of fourth.
Rosberg also had two penalty points added to his superlicense.
Stewards felt the Formula 1 championship points leader was to blame for the collision and was also reprimanded for continuing the race with a damaged car.
“Having taken note of the extensive evidence given by both drivers and the video and telemetry data, it was apparent that Car 44 (Hamilton) was in front of Car 6 (Rosberg) – i.e. more than fully alongside – and that the driver of Car 44 could have clearly made the turn (Turn 2) on the track, if not for the resultant collision. Car 6 did not allow Car 44 “racing room” and hence the driver of Car 6 was responsible for the collision,” the stewards said in a statement.
The stewards also discussed the front wing damage to Rosberg’s Mercedes and took into account the situation.
“Article 22.11of the Formula One Sporting Regulations requires a driver with serious mechanical difficulties to leave the track as soon as it is safe to do so,” the stewards continued. “We do note the extenuating circumstances and the fact that the driver of Car 6 (Rosberg) did slow down significantly and attempted to mitigate the risk to other drivers and cars.”
