Quote Originally Posted by N. Jones View Post
I will admit that Michael was protected when he was at Ferrari. I will also admit Michael Jordan was protected during his time in the NBA. That doesn't mean they should not have been punished for breaking the rules. It's a rule, he broke. If you, or Mercedes, can show me that others drivers have done this without a time penalty then I will be with you in defending him. Otherwise he got a penalty.
Actually, l have researched the practise starts for races going back to the start opf the 2014 era. And l can tell you that this rule has been regularly broken without sanction on many occasions. It is one of those things that drivers have ignored on many occasions and the stewards have ignored.

These stewards have taken issue with it because it is Lewis Hamilton doing it. Plain and simple. The chaps at Mercedes that instructed Hamilton that it was ok to do so, were aware that it is something that was on many occasions done by other teams and drivers.