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Hamilton's Japan win probed
Lewis Hamilton is being investigated by Formula One's governing body for his role in an accident during his victory in last week's Japanese Grand Prix.
- Associated Press
- Updated: October 07, 2007 06:19 PM IST
Read Time:2 min
Shanghai:
The FIA said on Thursday that it was looking into "new evidence" concerning Hamilton's driving behind the safety car in the rain-soaked race at the Fuji Speedway.
The win extended Hamilton's lead in the drivers' standings to 12 points over McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton is said to have speeded up and slowed down, causing Red Bull driver Mark Webber and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel to collide behind him on the 46th lap.
Hamilton was questioned by FIA about the incident on Thursday in Shanghai, site of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.
The FIA is expected to announce its decision on Friday.
Hamilton could be penalized grid positions in Sunday's race, where he was in position to clinch the title and become the first rookie driver to win the F1 championship.
Webber and Vettel both spoke at a news conference on Thursday about the incident.
Webber said he felt Hamilton was slowing and speeding up behind the safety car, which would hamper the drivers behind him, especially with the water spray affecting visibility.
"It definitely contributed to Sebastian hitting me up the back," Webber said.
"In the end it was my fault for crashing into Mark's car, so I'm not here to blame anybody but I think it's clear that the rhythm was not there," Vettel said.
All the cars were trying to keep the heat up in their tires by accelerating and slowing or swerving from side to side.
"In the end we are all sitting in the same boat," Vettel said. "It's raining, there is a safety car for a long time and it's quite complicated to keep the temperatures in the brakes and avoid glazing them."
Hamilton did not attend Thursday's news conference and was unavailable for comment after the investigation was announced.
Lewis Hamilton is being investigated by Formula One's governing body for his role in an accident during his victory in last week's Japanese Grand Prix.The FIA said on Thursday that it was looking into "new evidence" concerning Hamilton's driving behind the safety car in the rain-soaked race at the Fuji Speedway.
The win extended Hamilton's lead in the drivers' standings to 12 points over McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton is said to have speeded up and slowed down, causing Red Bull driver Mark Webber and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel to collide behind him on the 46th lap.
Hamilton was questioned by FIA about the incident on Thursday in Shanghai, site of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.
The FIA is expected to announce its decision on Friday.
Hamilton could be penalized grid positions in Sunday's race, where he was in position to clinch the title and become the first rookie driver to win the F1 championship.
Webber and Vettel both spoke at a news conference on Thursday about the incident.
Webber said he felt Hamilton was slowing and speeding up behind the safety car, which would hamper the drivers behind him, especially with the water spray affecting visibility.
"It definitely contributed to Sebastian hitting me up the back," Webber said.
"In the end it was my fault for crashing into Mark's car, so I'm not here to blame anybody but I think it's clear that the rhythm was not there," Vettel said.
All the cars were trying to keep the heat up in their tires by accelerating and slowing or swerving from side to side.
"In the end we are all sitting in the same boat," Vettel said. "It's raining, there is a safety car for a long time and it's quite complicated to keep the temperatures in the brakes and avoid glazing them."
Hamilton did not attend Thursday's news conference and was unavailable for comment after the investigation was announced.
Topics mentioned in this article
Formula 1 Hamilton Masakadza
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