Harsh Penalty, At Monaco (not F1) Options

[lapuwali]

In one of the support races for the F1 race at Monaco, the "World Series from Renault", an Italian named Pestor Maldonado was handed a penalty from the Monaco Automobile Club: banned for LIFE. This means he's not allowed to compete in any race at Monaco for any racing series ever.

The story was another competitor spun alone in Casino Square (just after a blind, crested turn). A marshal came out to help him move the car out of the way, yellow flags waving. Moldonado ignored the flags and came around the blind turn full out, and hit the marshal. The marshal is in the hospital with a broken back, but is expected to recover without paralysis. A second car came by soon after and hit Moldonado's car. Both driver's said there were no flags, but the authorities and video show otherwise.

Ignoring yellows is a bad thing to do, but a life ban seems rather harsh. The driver is young, and will now never advance in any series (F3, GP2, F1) that competes at Monaco.

[lapuwali]

QUOTE (Cap'n Krusty @ May 21 2005, 04:07 PM)

QUOTE (ws91420 @ May 21 2005, 12:42 PM) After something like that happened I wouldn't be suprised if he just quit racing anyway. The guilt he has to live with the rest of his life. Racing would be a constant reminder of that. To the contrary, he's in denial, claiming there were no flags. I would venture a guess he doesn't really give a sh*t, and he'll go around crying he was wronged to anyone who'll listen. There's serious precedent in racing circles, believe me. Look at F1, NASCAR, and the old Can Am, where a REALLY famous driver punted Jim Hall into the weeds, ending his career .......... The Cap'n

To be fair, the second guy BEHIND this guy also said he didn't see the flags. I certainly agree that this guy deserves some penalty, and a serious one, but this is essentially career-ending as far as open-wheel stuff in Europe is concerned. No team manager in F3, GP2, or F1 is going to hire a driver that can drive at Monaco.

It was just reported that the lifetime ban was reversed. The driver has instead been banned for nine races in this series.