Trulli vs Lauda

For your consideration:

Niki Lauda  says Hamilton did not get an advantage.

Jarno Trulli begs to differ. 

Editorial Note: With all due respect for a great former World Champion,  Trulli is a current driver and more familiar with both the current Spa configuration and a current car's capabilities....

Lauda: Hamilton decision was the 'worst judgment in the history of F1'

Niki Lauda has described the decision to strip Lewis Hamilton of his Belgian grand prix victory as "the worst judgment in the history of formula one".

"This is the worst judgment in the history of F1, the most perverted judgment I have ever seen," said Lauda, now a grand prix commentator. "It's absolutely unacceptable when three functionaries [stewards] influence the championship like this. Hamilton did nothing wrong. He was on the outside, he then let him [Raikkonen] by, which is the rule, and afterwards he passed him. Hamilton did the right thing in letting him by before again passing him."


Trulli: Hamilton gained an advantage

Jarno Trulli says he has no doubts that Lewis Hamilton did gain an advantage by cutting the chicane at the Belgian Grand Prix.

As the controversy rages over whether the race stewards were right to hand down a 25-second penalty for Hamilton's driving, Trulli thinks that the McLaren driver did benefit from missing out the final corner.

"In my opinion Hamilton got an advantage by cutting the chicane," Trulli told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Had he stayed on the road, he wouldn't have had the speed to overtake the Ferrari.

"In the same way at Monza someone could cut the first chicane, catch a rival's draft, and overtake him under braking at Roggia.

"When you attack on the outside, you do it at your own risk, because who's on the inside has the right to do the corner. If there isn't enough room, then you lift.

"Had there been a wall there, instead of the surfaced escape route, would Lewis have attacked anyway? Had there been gravel, he wouldn't have had the chance to attack when rejoining the track because of dirty tyres."

McLaren are due to decide today whether or not to press ahead with their plans to appeal Hamilton's penalty, which dropped him from first to third in the race results.