Wolff and Binotto disagree: 'That was completely different!'

In the Russian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was severely punished for a wrong practice start prior to the race. Now it just turns out that Charles Leclerc was not punished for a similar incident in Belgium, which frustrates Toto Wolff.

There was already some debate over whether Lewis Hamilton's punishment was justified during the Russian Grand Prix. The Briton was given a five-second time penalty twice for performing two practice starts beyond the specified line. Charles Leclerc did the same at Spa-Francorchamps and did not receive any penalty.

Toto Wolff is therefore unhappy with the stewards' decision. "I saw Charles' situation and it was the same. He was past the position indicated in the notes. He wasn't as far past the pit lane as Lewis, but he was still past the line," the team boss at the Nürburgring told the press, including RaceFans.net.

Difference of opinion between team bosses

"We still have too much difference between punishments. Charles' was behind the line and behind the lights in spite of everything and it hasn't been punished. On the other hand you have the situation of Lewis, who was further away but still in the same situation and he got two five second penalties. We need to get more balance in it," the Austrian argued.

Meanwhile, Mattia Binotto doesn't find the two situations at all comparable. "The situation was completely different at Spa. The notes said that you could cross the line to avoid a queue. That's exactly what Charles did, without creating an advantage for himself," concludes Ferrari's team boss.