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[Steve_M]

Well maybe I should have said what's the difference between Hamilton braking to let the safety car go and Vettel accelerating out of the bend - either way the arse end of the car in front is going to come at you quicker!
So we can see the graphic showing Hamilton braking - where's the graphic for Vettel? I'll wager he was accelerating. Lead car sets the pace. Lead car brakes you need to brake if you're following.

[overboost]

I think that reaction time is the answer to your question. Even though Vettel did hit Hamilton it was obvious that he tried to stop and by acting as quickly as he could a much bigger impact was avoided.

[myownalias]

Lead car sets the pace. Lead car brakes you need to brake if you're following.

Exactly, there is zero excuse for what transpired after the initial contact, Vettel went too far and got punished, it was a very stupid move, I don't buy that it was accidental contact when he pulled alongside, even if it was, it's still Vettel's fault, as a road car driver, if I take my hands off the wheel and then sideswipe another car, it's clearly my fault.

[sagi58]

I don't have a problem with Vettel being punished,
my problem is the INCONSISTENCIES that always
seem to give an unfair advantage to some drivers.

[myownalias]

In this case, I don't believe Hamilton did anything wrong, it's the leaders prerogative to dictate the pace, if the following driver failed to react, that's on the following driver.

Hamilton got punished as well, the FIA could have ignored the headrest issues on Hamilton's Mercedes, but they forced Mercedes to pull him in to replace the headrest.

[Stephen]

In this case, I don't believe Hamilton did anything wrong, it's the leaders prerogative to dictate the pace, if the following driver failed to react, that's on the following driver.

Perhaps not intentionally but coming off the gas and jumping on the brake on the exit of a corner isn't something anyone would reasonably expect - especially given there's only really one line there - having watched Vettel's onboard I would have probably driven over him before I reacted...

[Steve_M]

When being taught a higher level of driving most, make that all, are instructed to expect the unexpected. Those not capable shouldn't have a super license.
Vettel needs to accept he goofed, no big deal with the initial impact, but the head butt follow up would have gotten a black flag a few years ago.

[myownalias]

In this case, I don't believe Hamilton did anything wrong, it's the leaders prerogative to dictate the pace, if the following driver failed to react, that's on the following driver.

Perhaps not intentionally but coming off the gas and jumping on the brake on the exit of a corner isn't something anyone would reasonably expect - especially given there's only really one line there - having watched Vettel's onboard I would have probably driven over him before I reacted...

As someone who lives in Kansas, where it's an everyday occurrence to have to have to avoid some dumbass braking from 70 to 45mph for no perceivable reason, yet I don't consider myself to being one of the world's elite drivers and I have never managed to crash into the back of someone else, although there have been some close calls

[rob91]

Regarding the Hamilton/Vettel collisions, I thought Hamilton was going slower than was necessary and it is this that caught out Vettel but I don't think Hamilton did anything wrong really. Vettel was silly to react in the way he did and deserved the penalty but it wasn't a deliberate swipe at Hamilton, he had at least one hand off the steering wheel at the moment they banged wheels so he wasn't in complete control of his car. There was no malice in any of this but Vettel should be more careful in future that he doesn't let his emotions get the better of him.

[overboost]

Vettel should have not reacted as he did by pulling along side and banging wheels with Hamilton. It cost him an easy win as it turned out.

[overboost]

Baku had 137 overtakes.

https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/en/merced ... =2017-baku" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[overboost]

Having never driven anything as near as powerful as an F1 car I cannot comment on how easy it is to accelerate, gesticulate, look in the wrong direction, speak into a radio and drive in a straight line whilst having a severe case of the red mist. Probably fair to say he meant to move towards Hamilton but I can't believe the impact was deliberate given the chances of him damaging his own car for nothing. I don't think Vettel was ever ahead. Certainly didn't look like it from the footage I saw. Doubtless, had he been ahead, he'd had been given a penalty for that.

As for being able to judge if it was a brake test, the car behind can very easily do that. A sudden deceleration would be instantly noticeable, which it was. The arse end of the car in front getting closer at a quicker rate than expected would be a bit unexpected. Plus the graphics that were shown did show Hamilton apply his brakes....

Had Vettel been called Senna or Hamilton he'd have been thought of as a "racer" and the excuse that he's "passionate" would be trotted out. It was the same when Schumacher was on the go, he was always in the wrong in the eyes of the British media and fans even when he was in the right (dude was bloody ruthless and bent the rules a couple times but it made for some damn fine racing and ultimately, that's what he want to see, not this sanitised PC Scalextrix track processional push the magic button to pass crap). It'll be the same with the next (German) driver who goes up against a Brit.

The way I see it, the pair of them were playing silly beggers, simple as that. But that's part of the game. Out-psych your opponent. At least Vettel has said he will talk to Hamilton away from the press and quite rightly discuss the incident behind closed doors. Meanwhile, the BBC are still quoting Hamilton's thinly veiled threats of hitting him with his handbag.

This might add a little context to your comments. Here is a clip of China 2017 where Ricciardo touched wheels with Vettel at more than 200km/hr!

(turn off your security if the video doesn't show or just use this link -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MjKBtJe4Fg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )

Ricciardo later admitted that he did it on purpose. But he was not criticized at all instead it was all great fun by a fun guy! No safety concerns raised at all as in Vettel's 45 kph wheel bump!

DR: “I was honestly a bit bored so I just thought let’s bang some wheels and get the crowd excited!,” Ricciardo joked after the race.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t intentional, but I knew there was no harm done. A little bit of a smoke for the fans.”

[sagi58]

When being taught a higher level of driving most, make that all, are instructed to expect the unexpected...

Granted...
having said that, there is a level of expectation that anyone who has a license will also follow the rules of the road... actually, I would go so far as to say that at this level, there is a certain level of trust that other drivers will also follow the rules, written and unwritten...

Let's not forget that a sin of omission is just as much a sin as one of commission!!

[sagi58]

...(turn off your security if the video doesn't show or just use this link -
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-v ... ve-923932/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )...

Isn't it convenient that "we" seem to have forgotten the number of times Hamilton bumped wheels with Massa, just a few short years ago!!

[Steve_M]

...(turn off your security if the video doesn't show or just use this link -
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-v ... ve-923932/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )...

Isn't it convenient that "we" seem to have forgotten the number of times Hamilton bumped wheels with Massa, just a few short years ago!!

I never knew that about Hamilton, I always thought that was whilst racing but never knew he did that behind a safety car. Was Massa the lead car as well??? Wow!