Formula 1's governing body has explained why Nico Hulkenberg avoided the same one-race ban given to Romain Grosjean in 2012, despite causing a near identical crash at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix.

The La Source hairpin at Spa-Francorchamps has a reputation as one of the most difficult first corners on the calendar and has seen plenty of big incidents over the years, this despite the exit being opened up as part of the 2007 redevelopment.

Six years ago, it was Fernando Alonso who was the innocent party as a flying Lotus belonging to Grosjean narrowly avoided his head after the Frenchman has braked too late for the tight right-hander.

On Sunday, it was he who went over the top of Charles Leclerc's Sauber after being hit in the rear by Hulkenberg, with his front-right wheel bouncing off the Halo which protected the Monegasque's cockpit.

After wholeheartedly accepting the blame, the German was given a 10-place grid penalty for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, but aware of the comparisons that would be made, race director Charlie Whiting took the unusual step of explaining why a more lenient punishment was given.

"When you go back to the Grosjean accident, I think Grosjean had four different incidents [that year]," he explained, with the Spa one later used to devise the current penalty points system on a driver's superlicence.

"The idea was that if he'd had those accidents, and each had attracted three [penalty] points, then we would be quite justified to ban him for a race.

"That was the way that it was made 12 points, so in the future if that sort of thing happened, that would be the result."

Hulkenberg was indeed given a full three points for the incident, but he remains some way short of the total Whiting mentioned which triggers the automatic ban.

"[Sunday's crash] was clearly Nico's fault, he said he was completely to blame for it, and he took three, arguably four cars out, or destroyed their races," he continued.

"I think the points are exactly right, and the 10-place grid penalty is pretty much what he expected, he didn't say too much after it, apparently."

After the incident, one of the notable conclusions was the effectiveness of the Halo in protecting Leclerc as Alonso's car flew over.

A new 360-degree video has given an even better insight into exactly what happened, with the FIA director suggesting it would have been "a miracle" if no contact had been made with the Sauber driver's head had the device not been in place.