The FIA stewards have admitted that Lewis Hamilton didn’t truly commit any violation when he went off observe, which has left many System 1 followers questioning: why did the British driver nonetheless obtain a penalty throughout the Mexican Grand Prix?
In response to the official assertion, the seven-time world champion was not punished for slicing the nook throughout his combat with Max Verstappen. Nevertheless, the explanation behind the penalty turned out to be one thing totally different — and the FIA later clarified it intimately.
The chaotic begin triggered a sequence response
The Mexican Grand Prix started in chaos, and every little thing unfolded in fast succession. When Charles Leclerc didn’t give the place again to Lewis Hamilton after slicing the nook, it left him weak to an assault from Max Verstappen. The extreme battle between Hamilton and the Crimson Bull driver then led the Ferrari quantity 44 to lock up his entrance tyres and lower throughout Turns 4 and 5 to rejoin the observe. The British driver was visibly disenchanted with the FIA stewards’ resolution, and Ferrari staff principal Frédéric Vasseur additionally judged the 10-second penalty to be too harsh. Nevertheless, the FIA defined that Hamilton was not penalized for leaving the observe itself, however for an additional cause completely. Listed here are the total particulars.
Ten-second penalty for gaining an enduring benefit
The stewards reviewed each the positional knowledge and the onboard footage earlier than reaching their conclusion. In response to their report, “Automotive 44 (HAM) locked up beneath braking, left the observe at Flip 4, and used the grass to rejoin within the route of Flip 5. For the reason that driver was unable to observe the escape route marked by the yellow line as a consequence of extreme velocity, it was decided that there was no breach of the race director’s notes. Nevertheless, by leaving the observe and slicing the nook, the driving force gained an enduring benefit, overtaking Automotive 1 (VER) and failing to return the place afterwards. Due to this fact, the usual penalty for leaving the observe and gaining an enduring benefit is utilized.”
This assertion lastly revealed the actual cause behind the penalty. The FIA didn’t anticipate Lewis Hamilton to observe the designated escape route, nevertheless it did anticipate him to return the place to Max Verstappen after rejoining the observe. The Ferrari staff principal, Frédéric Vasseur, acknowledged that the stewards had little alternative given the circumstances, although he nonetheless thought-about the ten-second sanction extreme.
Sadly, that’s how issues unfolded. Maybe Ferrari’s pit wall might have suggested Lewis Hamilton to instantly hand the place again to Max Verstappen, which could have spared him the post-race penalty and a greater ending end in the Mexican Grand Prix.
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