Italian media backs Nico Rosberg over Max Verstappen penalty

Media outlets in Italy have sided with Nico Rosberg after he was penalised for forceing Max Verstappen off the road at Hockenheim.

Talking about the incident after the race, Verstappen said "Lewis (Hamilton) knows," referring to the incident between the Mercedes team mates in Austria.


The stewards rules that Rosberg was in the wrong, and gave him a five second penalty for driving Verstappen off the track.

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda said he understood the penalty given to his driver.

"I understand it's a 50-50 decision because he (Rosberg) went too wide," he said.

However, it was the normally Ferrari-biased Italian media which leapt to Rosberg's defence.

"Rosberg's penalty was nonsense," said Corriere della Sera's Giorgio Terruzzi. "The fact is that Nico cheated Max, but this is a race."

La Gazzetta dello Sport's Umberto Zapelloni agreed, saying: "We have too little overtaking anyway, so this should not be punished."

And Autosprint editor Alberto Sabbatini said sarcastically: "I suggest to Charlie Whiting that, in future, cars instead drive one at a time against the clock like in downhill skiing."

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