Briatore Said Hamilton Should Have Been Disqualified in Valencia

With every controversy that arouses in the world of Formula One, there is always reason for the figures that are no longer part of the Great Circus to take advantage of the situation and make themselves heard. When Fernando Alonso is in the mix, his former team manager and father-like figure Flavio Briatore cannot stay aside and watch his former protege take the heat from his championship rivals.

According to the former Renault manager, Lewis Hamilton should not have been handed a drive-through penalty in the European Grand Prix at Valencia, but a black flag. The Brit passed the safety car on the track and was penalized by the FIA stewards more than 20 minutes later, when the McLaren driver had already secured enough of a time gap ahead of 3rd placed Kamui Kobayashi to retain his position after his pit lane drive.

“The rules aren't precise, You can't have a penalty for Hamilton after 20 laps, it should be (after) 2 or 3,” Briatore was quoted as saying to Italy's Sky Sport 24.

“Passing the safety car is more like a black flag penalty. Hamilton is lucky; everything he does turns out well,” added the 60-year old Italian, who was himself involved in a race-fixing scandal inside the sport a couple of years back.

Briatore admitted however that McLaren are presently above Ferrari in terms of performance, as the F10 is not as quick as the Red Bull RB6 or McLaren MP4-25.

Responding to Alonso's accusations, Hamilton suggested that the Spaniard's “sour grapes” were a consequence of him being overtaken by BMW Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi in the dying laps of the race.

“It's just sour grapes. It is very unlike him to be overtaken by a Sauber so he must have been completely in another world,” said Ham, as quoted by The Sun.