What do the names Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel and Schumacher all have in common? Yes, they are all Formula One™ drivers, but more than that, they are well-known names. Over the years, Formula One™ has had its share of big names pass through. Whether it’s Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna or Nico Rosberg; each big name comes with an equally large immunity. We aren’t talking about immunity from the flu, but rather immunity from the rules.
In the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, we saw Nico Rosberg take his Mercedes teammate out of the race. Loads of opinions have been flooding the internet and other media on whether the FIA should investigate further and possibly hand Rosberg a penalty. However, in recent news, it has been announced that the FIA will take no further action against either driver. Is this because Rosberg is innocent or is it purely because of the big name?
In my opinion, had they incident occurred between any other drivers, such as Max Chilton, Pastor Maldonado or Adrian Sutil, the incident would have been investigated on the spot and we would have saw a penalty. We saw this sort of thing when Kevin Magnussen was handed a 20 second penalty after the race, for forcing Fernando Alonso off of the track, while battling for positions. Another example of big names having big immunity, would be Sebastian Vettel leaving the track on multiple occasions. Despite this clear violation of the official FIA regulations, there was no penalty issued.
This isn’t only a 2014 issue; it has been happening through the sport’s history. In 1990, Ayrton Senna rammed Alain Prost in the first corner of the Japanese Grand Prix. Despite admitting that this was an intentional action and despite the fact that this penultimate race would decide if Senna was World Champion, no penalty was issued. Michael Schumacher also earned a largely negative reputation because of his immunity to the rules; clearly violating the rules, multiple times throughout the duration of his career.
It is saddening to hear that Rosberg will get off free (from the FIA). I am more than certain, however, that Mercedes will have talked some sense into their drivers. The tension will surely carry on to the Italian Grand Prix. Both drivers need to remember rule number one: never take out your teammate.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. Assumptions made in any analysis contained within this article are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.
