Damon Hill gets backlash for Monaco decision
The concept of involving former competitors in the regulation of their sport is one that can bring benefits, but is also loaded with risk.
The experience they bring can be valuable but has to be balanced against the baggage that may come with it, and the experiences from which that knowledge was earned.
Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, was one of the stewarding panel for the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend, and, following the decision to penalise Michael Schumacher for an illegal overtake on Fernando Alonso in the final corner of the race, the Briton has received hate mail.
Schumacher controversially ended Hill’s world championship hopes in 1994 when he collided with him Adelaide, forcing the Briton to retire, with Schumacher being crowned world champion. There have been unsubstantiated suggestions that Hill’s view of Schumacher’s manoeuvre in Monaco was some act of revenge after so many years. "Partly, of course, my discomfort was because I was called to make a ruling on an incident involving Michael. I acted entirely properly but I have already received some stinging e-mails accusing me of prejudice,” said Hill.
The seven-time world champion passed Alonso on the final lap after the safety car had pulled in, but he breached rule 40.13, which states: “If the race ends while the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking.”
Ross Brawn, team principal for Mercedes-Benz GP, and the man responsible for Schumacher’s seven world championships, had attended a meeting with the FIA stewards to claim the 41-year-old was right to make the pass on the Ferrari. “We believed that the track had gone green and the race was not finishing under a Safety Car when article 40.13 clearly would have applied. The reason for the safety car had been removed, the FIA had announced 'safety car in this lap' early on lap 78 and the track had been declared clear by race control. This was further endorsed when the marshals showed green flags and lights after safety car line one," said Brawn. The team lodged an appeal against the decision.
Alonso had consulted his team on the radio whether he could pass Lewis Hamilton in front of him. Ferrari said no, and Alonso backed off. Schumacher, behind Alonso, went for the overtake, and he felt he had the right to. “Our understanding was that the 'safety car in, track clear' message meant we were back to racing conditions, so I went for it and overtook Fernando.”
When it was announced that former Formula One drivers would be on the panel of stewards at every grand prix this season, it seemed like a good idea at the time. The modern drivers have become puzzled and concerned over the last few years over decisions to be penalised for no apparent reasons.
Before this season, the sport’s governing body, the FIA, was combined of race stewards with no driving experience at all. New president Jean Todt introduced a former driver to offer their advice to help the current crop of racers. Now, following Sunday’s events, Hill believes this may not be such a good idea after all.
“It was a fascinating experience but I wonder whether it is right that drivers are put in the position of interpreting the regulations. I imagined I would be there as a consultant providing driver insight to the stewards, who would then make the decisions. My expertise is as a driver rather than a lawmaker or interpreter of regulations,” said Hill.
The initiative to include former drivers in the stewarding process has more positives than negatives and it is hard to believe that if a former driver, possibly with some long-standing grudge, was delivering unreasonable conclusions to a race incident he would retain the faith of the rest of the panel.
Everyone who brings their experience brings their own baggage. That includes Hill.
It also includes Schumacher.
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