As one would expect, opinion on who was to blame for Sunday's fourth corner incident that saw both Mercedes eliminated and thereby handed the race to its rivals, has been divided.

The stewards saw it as a racing incident, Mercedes posting the official decision in a series of tweets yesterday which gave War and Peace a run for its money.

Fans of both drivers understandably saw their man as the victim and his teammate as the dangerous aggressor, whilst former drivers, including Mercedes non-executive chairman, and three-time world champion, Niki Lauda, appeared to see Hamilton as the culprit.

Another three-time champion, Jackie Stewart laid the blame firmly at Hamilton's door.

"It was all emotion," said the Scot, according to the Guardian. "First lap, desperation. That's not the way to win, not consistently. Hamilton is to blame. Rosberg was allowed to protect himself. You don't go for it on the first lap.

"Two cars from the same team can't possibly have an accident on the first lap," he continued. "One of the major assets for all of the great drivers has been mind management. Don't get wound up and excited. I think Lewis could have won this race but it didn't have to be on the first lap. The accident was almost ready to take place."

Other than the actual crash, Stewart was incensed by Hamilton's behaviour in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

"It was a tremendous faux pas for Mercedes to take both cars out," he said. "They are so much better than any other team. It's just completely wrong. And then for Hamilton to throw the steering wheel out of the car. Probably $40,000-$50,000 of steering wheel. Emotion is a very dangerous thing.

"It's unacceptable," he insisted. "Lots of people make mistakes. What you've got to do is come out of the mistake but you've got to admit it and think about why would you have done such a thing on the first lap, when you're so much quicker than everyone else. I don't think Lewis understood that. I don't think that Rosberg did anything wrong.

"I think there's a need for discipline, maybe financial. I would certainly have penalised the driver who made that mistake on the first lap. It would have to be financial. At the moment Lewis is making such a lot of money that it might not be a big penalty."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by father guido, 20/05/2016 17:06

"Nico was playing with the buttons! Silly boy was in the wrong mode. Wayyyy down on power at that point. Hamilton was cruisin. And, if you rewatch the clip. Nico veered left while playing with the buttons. Hamilton saw this and went right. No time for deep thought here. You react! Its what you do. I suppose Hamilton could have thrown out the boat anchor. I love ya Jackie. But, I say horsefeathers."

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2. Posted by JackTheCat, 18/05/2016 23:21

"All this left room, driving for the team, does one realise this, does the other realise that.... all with the benefit of hindsight and comfort of your armchair!

For God's sake it was a racing incident. Even the usually reprimand happy stewards thought so!

Get over it, it happens!"

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3. Posted by -ape-, 18/05/2016 18:52

"I think it was Pastor Maldonado who should be blamed for this accident. "

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4. Posted by edllorca, 18/05/2016 15:43

"Blocking to the edge is wrong and against the rules. I have never liked blocking, it is not a display of talent of speed. there are subtle ways to make it harder to pass blocking is not one of them. I fault Nico for this incident (even though Lewis should have lifted or switched to the left) as much as I fault Lewis for blocking Nico at the start. "

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5. Posted by scf1fan, 18/05/2016 14:43

"The unfortunate fact is that LH committed himself to a spot on the track that wasn't going to be there when he arrived, and then he left himself no “outs” other than to take to the grass. By the rules Nico did exactly what a racer is allowed and is expected to do, protect his position; with one move.

So NR "could have," "should have" left LH room to make the pass? I saw plenty of room on the track, it was to Nico's left. (And by the rules, which LH is paid quite a lot to know, Nico having moved right, could not move back to the left without being at fault.) Drivers such as Vettel, Alonso, Montoya, Mansell and others have all made scintillating passes on the outside of corners by first head faking to the inside; many well into a race in more adverse conditions. On a first lap, no marbles, sufficiently faster speed . . . should have been a piece of cake for Lewis. Lewis made a poor decision, it happens to everyone, but as the (un) luck would have it, this time it cost his team dearly.

JS’s concern (as one who has both driven for and owned a F1 team) seems to be whether Lewis realizes that; because LH isn’t just driving for himself, he is driving for 1,000 other team members. Personally I would say that it’s a little early for that discussion in a public venue, but the team certainly needs to have it. (Much more-so to prevent any reoccurrence than as a punitive measure.) And in that regard, and for discussion purposes, I would say that JS’s opinion is more valid that any of ours.
"

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6. Posted by Spindoctor, 18/05/2016 10:21

"Lewis had the right to overtake - he was going a lot faster, Rosberg has a right to defend. When the move started there was a gap, Rosberg blocked, Hamilton had nowhere to go, hit the grass & inevitably spun into Rosberg.

The notion that somehow Lewis should have been more "patient" rather misses the point that Nico could have left him room, in either case both would have gone on to complete the race."

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7. Posted by HappyHippyBiker, 18/05/2016 1:43

"If a driver is in 2nd place, he will try to overtake the car in front if he thinks he can. Sometimes this works and he is a hero. If a driver is in the lead, he will try to prevent loosing that place. Sometimes this works and he is a hero. Sometimes it doesn't work for either of them. Sh!t happens. The End."

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8. Posted by Yeyox02, 17/05/2016 22:39

"Mr. Stewart is correct when he says "You don't go for it on the first lap". There are lots of laps to attempt anything but for the love of God, not on the first lap!"

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9. Posted by testa rossa, 17/05/2016 17:56

"Even Jacky doesn't know the facts . Lewis apologized to Lauda immediately , later Wolf defended Lewis when he had the facts clear . Like the stewards said racing accident.
Al the rest of the comments is B.S. Sorry Jacky."

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10. Posted by ACxr, 17/05/2016 17:39

"Hmmm, sadly the "halfwit" comments seems to have some truth to is. He says you should go for it in the first lap? Well Rosberg did, and apparently that was OK. If we are going to be consistent, then you shouldn't chop off your team mate or any other driver in the first lap. For a lot of drivers, the only opportunity is in the fist lap while the drivers are unsettled and in a rhythm.
Jackie, have a coke and a smile......"

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11. Posted by scf1fan, 17/05/2016 17:21

"I'm not sure I agree with the "tone" that this article tries to attribute to JS's comments. Incensed? I don't see or hear it. For the most part, whether you agree or not with who was at fault in the incident, they sound pretty measured. I think the problem is that most will view his comments based on how they saw the event, where as I think JS's perspective is more about F1 as a whole. (For those that disagree, just change the words "Hamilton" to "Rosberg" and see if you feel that they are equally unfair.)
.
@Jonno . . JS is making NO such claim as you are questioning. I can't see where your effort to diminish his opinion on the matter, or his driving record, helps this conversation."

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12. Posted by jasman, 17/05/2016 17:15

"It would be interesting to speculate what might have happened if the drivers' roles were reversed.

My only thought is that with 200 miles or so left in the race, I would think that if Lewis had the better car, waiting a lap or two to make his move would have been sensible."

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13. Posted by The Canadian, 17/05/2016 15:19

"Good point Jackie but if it had been me, given the speed differential, I would not have tried to throw that block if I were Rosberg. Blocks are fine if you are both going about the same speed but what did he expect with Lewis closing that fast? A little more respect and clean racing on his part would have saved the day. After all, this was at least in part caused by a Rosberg mistake...Rosberg is a great driver when everything goes his way..... a little shaky at times in the face of advesity though... "

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14. Posted by JackTheCat, 17/05/2016 12:07

"LOL at the Muppet Show below. xkd504 and nonickname are the Statler and Waldorf of the Pitpass comments section. Let's not let personal bias get in the way of your 'oh so balanced' opinion eh lads?

Stewart has every right to his opinion, but he comes from a time when racing was very different and a lot more dangerous. Hamilton messed up as did Rosberg to an extent, but that's all that happened. No one got killed or so much as a scratch so there is no need for fines or demotions. It was a racing incident and they will happen from time to time.

Some of you may not like Hamilton's persona and that's fine, but you don't win 3 WCs by being a bad driver so assuming we all get that to suggest he should be fined, demoted or whatever must be because you think he is spoilt etc. and that is evidenced in many of the comments made on various websites since Sunday. As long as he races hard on a Sunday afternoon, why should we care what he does with the rest of his life? He doesn't seem to drink to excess, do drugs or get accused of rape like some of the stars of a certain other popular sport so let him get on with it."

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15. Posted by xkd504, 17/05/2016 11:04

"I am finding it very difficult to understand the British attitude of the blind support of one of their own - Hamilton stuffed up - accept the fact - face reality - if Hamilton had not made the impetuous move the incident would not have occurred. Hamilton can't accept fact that Roseberg will be this years world champion. Pity Mercedes does not have an undergraduate team like Red Bull and send the wonder boy back for a lesson or two on how not to be impetuous on the first lack. I totally agree with Jackie Stewart's version.

Hamilton - a spoilt brat with more gold and diamonds than the local jewelry sore on any High street"

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Stewart: Hamilton should be fined

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