31/08/2014
NEWS STORY
Former FIA president Max Mosley believes it was wrong of Mercedes to blame and punish Nico Rosberg publicly.
The always controversial former president under whose watch the sport's governing body played a far more high-profile role than it does under his successor was never afraid to punish those who broke the rules.
However, whilst agreeing with the way in which Mercedes opted to deal with the situation, Mosley is critical of the decision to make public the decision to punish Rosberg.
"In every respect but one I think Mercedes dealt with the incident in the right way," he told the Daily Mail. "If they decided to fine or punish Rosberg they should not have announced it. It's as if the team are blaming him publicly. That's not really right."
Mosley, during whose reign numerous scandals, most notably 'Spygate', got Formula One into the headlines for all the wrong reasons, agrees with the Race Stewards at Spa who saw the second-lap clash involving the Mercedes duo as a racing incident.
"The way I see it, and I'm on the outside now, is that the very experienced race director and the stewards decided not to act because it was a 'racing incident'. That was more or less that. It was a minor incident with serious consequences. What the drivers did or not say afterwards is not clear. On that basis the FIA could not get involved.
"It's then a matter for the team," he added. "A lot goes on behind closed doors. What is unusual is announcing it. Personally, I wouldn't have done that.'
In a brief statement issued on Friday the German team revealed that Rosberg had "acknowledged his responsibility" for the incident and that "suitable disciplinary measures" had been taken. It is believed the "disciplinary measures" include a six-figure fine.
Chris Balfe