Triple world champion Sir Jackie Stewart believes Lewis Hamilton is clearly to blame for last Sunday's Spanish GP fiasco with Nico Rosberg, adding that the defending world champion should be punished by Mercedes for what Stewart considered an ill-inspired first lap maneuver.
While the Barcelona stewards deemed the clash a 'racing incident', Stewart says impetuosity got the better of Hamilton, with dire consequences for both drivers and Mercedes.
"It was all emotion," Stewart said.
"First lap. Desperation. That’s not the way to win, not consistently. Hamilton is to blame. Rosberg is allowed to protect himself. You don’t go for it on the first lap.
"It’s just completely wrong. And then to throw the steering wheel out of the car. Probably £30,000-£40,000 of steering wheel.
"It’s difficult for them [Mercedes] to leave Lewis out for a race when they need to win the world championship. But there does need to be discipline."
Rather than an outright suspension or race ban, Stewart believes the only viable form of punishment for Hamilton is financial, although the impact would be relatively negligible given the British driver's huge 8-figure salary.
"I would certainly have penalised the driver who made that mistake on the first lap. It would have to be financial. But Lewis is making such a lot of money that it might not be a big penalty to him."
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