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Canadian GP: Adrian Sutil angry at 'inconsistent' flag penalties

Adrian Sutil will approach FIA race director Charlie Whiting about what he feels is an inconsistent application of Formula 1's blue flag rules

Sutil was given a drive-through penalty for disregarding blue flags when the drivers battling for second place came up to lap him.

But the German vehemently disagreed with the officials' call.

"I can't understand it and I'm not accepting this," Sutil said.

"I think I let them by within one lap. They lost maybe one second, which is absolutely normal for what you lose when you lap a car.

"I've brought it up many times in the drivers' meetings. I was stuck behind the slow backmarkers, the Marussias, the Caterhams, and they wouldn't move and you had to overtake them into a corner. No penalty.

"I don't think Lewis [Hamilton] lost a position because I was holding him up. That all happened in the next few laps.

"It's really a shame but I was eighth and fighting hard for this position, and they took it away like that.

"I just want a real clear clarification. What do you do when you're in front and someone is lapping you? How many corners do you have to let them by?

"Charlie says normally that you have to find a way through if you're behind lapped cars.

"I had no clear instruction and it's really, really disappointing that they're inconsistent in their decisions."

Asked by AUTOSPORT if he wanted to take the matter further, Sutil confirmed that he would seek talks with Whiting before the next race at Silverstone and raise it in the drivers' briefing there.

"I'd just like clear rules," he said.

"We have 1000 different rules here but on this kind of thing there is no clear clarification.

"When they see it on TV, they give a penalty. When they don't see it, they don't give a penalty."

Despite the penalty, and spinning when trying to pass Valtteri Bottas then being hit by Pastor Maldonado shortly afterwards, Sutil still finished 10th in Montreal.

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