Hamilton drive-through penalty wrong – Dennis, Haug

UPDATE (GMM) Norbert Haug, motor sport boss for McLaren's engine partner Mercedes-Benz, on Sunday also declared himself unhappy with the drive-through penalty imposed on Lewis Hamilton during the French grand prix.

Team boss Ron Dennis initially questioned the stewards' decision at Magny-Cours, imposed when Hamilton cut a chicane following his passing move on Sebastian Vettel on Sunday.

Hamilton had already served a ten-position grid demotion for his Montreal pitlane crash, while teammate Heikki Kovalainen was punished at Magny-Cours after he was ruled to have held up Mark Webber in qualifying.

Referring to Hamilton's drive-through penalty, Haug told German television: "I don't completely understand the reasons.

"I don't believe Sebastian Vettel will have complained. He will probably come to me, as Mark Webber did yesterday, and say, 'that was no disadvantage'," Haug added.

To British broadcaster ITV, however, team boss Dennis did not want to speculate about the spate of penalties dished out to McLaren in recent times.

"Draw your own conclusion from that," he said.

06/22/08 (GMM) McLaren boss Ron Dennis on Sunday said he did not agree with stewards who ordered Lewis Hamilton to serve a drive-through penalty during the French grand prix.

Hamilton, 23, was already struggling at the Magny-Cours circuit following his ten-position grid demotion for the Montreal pitlane crash two weeks ago.

Stewards ruled that the Briton should be punished further in France when he cut a corner after passing Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel.

"I don't think he gained a position by being off the road," Dennis said.

"It is our opinion he was past before he got squeezed off the circuit. No position was gained. There's nothing to be gained from saying anything else."

Hamilton finished tenth on Sunday, and now lags race winner Felipe Massa's championship lead by ten points.

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