Penalties for McLaren Drivers: Reactions!

Nick Heidfeld welcomed the decision made by the track stewards in Malaysia to penalize the two McLaren drivers by 5 positions on the starting grid for tomorrow’s race.

And for good reason, Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen slowed down Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso while the latter two were completing their final fast lap during qualifying.

Heidfeld thinks that this incident cost him third place. He will now start his race from fifth place, and he admitted that it’s a consolation for the time lost.

« Yes, of course. I gain two positions, it will be better than seventh, » he stated.

« I felt that I was hindered on my fast lap, and the stewards understood my discomfort. I was hindered and lost time, as did Fernando. »

The German is, moreover, in favor of changing the rules to prevent drivers who have crossed the finish line from cruising slowly.

Mario Theissen, head of BMW, also praised the decision of the race officials, he believes that the McLarens are the cause of a dangerous situation.

« For me, I think first and foremost about everyone’s safety; there was a difference of 200km/h between Nick’s car and the McLarens, a very dangerous situation. »

On the other hand, McLaren speaks of a regrettable incident, insisting that its drivers did not intentionally block their competitors.

McLaren F1 team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, stated: « We accept the stewards’ decision, but I would like to add that neither Lewis nor Heikki deliberately obstructed their competitors. »

« It was an unfortunate incident, nothing more, nothing less. We are looking forward to tomorrow’s race. »

This restructuring of the grid is a godsend for Ferrari, which is now in a strong position for this start.