When they have different stewards for every race, how can there be any parity in penalties if stewards are to use their discretion? How exactly did they quantify a 3 place drop? Especially when the penality not only penalises the one driver, but also rewards 3 other drivers.....what about a 4th, 5th?
Surely if, using their discretion they honestly beleived he affected Coulthards lap chances of improving his position (which will all know he didnt), they would move him back up behind Coulthard so that Coulthard himself would be rewarded for Heidfelds so called mistake.
Obviously the above shows that the practicalities of penalties is a world of difference to the ideals of them. (Personally i think if they really want to give a penalty to put the drivers in their place they should just have the two drivers in question swap positions on the grid)
I think they should go back to the old qualifying system, and without the stupid race fuel in qualifying (which ruins races) and give drivers back the hour they had to put a final timing down so that they dont have to make up all of these stupid penalities because of the poor qualifying structure currently used.