Five-place penalty for Kovalainen in Malaysia
For overtaking single-seaters under the safety car regime, which is against the rules, Heikki Kovalainen was penalized by the race stewards. He received a five-place grid penalty for the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Heikki Kovalainen received a five-place grid penalty for the Malaysian Grand Prix, which will take place next weekend. The Finnish driver was penalized by the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix for breaching rule 40.8 of the sporting regulations.
This rule prohibits overtaking before the first line of the safety car when it is on track and about to enter the pits.
When the safety car was on track, when Vitaly Petrov parked his car on the pit straight, the Caterham driver overtook two cars before this first safety car line, thus receiving a five-place grid penalty for the Malaysian Grand Prix.
« Tough day today, this kind of race happens sometimes, a bit harsh penalty from the stewards for the next race, but that’s life! » posted Kovalainen on his Twitter feed.
