No penalty for Hamilton over Japanese Grand Prix 05 Oct 2007
And Vettel has China grid penalty annulled
Formula One stewards have chosen not to penalise McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton after an enquiry into his driving behind the safety car in last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
The investigation followed suggestions that erratic driving by Hamilton had been responsible for Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel crashing into the rear of Mark Webber’s Red Bull. Webber and Vettel were running second and third behind Hamilton at the time and both were eliminated in the incident.
Vettel was initially blamed for the shunt and was given a ten-place grid penalty for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix as a result. However, after hearing evidence from all three drivers, and in light of the unusually severe weather conditions at the time of the accident, the stewards decided that sanctions were not appropriate and reduced Vettel's punishment to a reprimand.
Friday's decision means Hamilton could wrap up the 2007 drivers’ title in China on Sunday.
