Lewis Hamilton punishment confirmed as F1 stewards find him guilty at Brazilian GP.
Lewis Hamilton has been found guilty of failing to slow for yellow flags during qualifying for the Sprint race at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, but has avoided a grid penalty.
Lewis Hamilton has dodged a grid penalty despite being found guilty of failing to slow for yellow flags during qualifying for the Sprint race at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The incident occurred during the second part of Friday’s session after team-mate Charles Leclerc spun off track.
Onboard cameras from Hamilton’s Ferrari captured him travelling through that section of the Interlagos circuit without any visible signs of reducing speed. Double-waved yellow flags demand drivers reduce speed and be ready to stop, but the seven-time champion didn’t comply as he attempted to reach the start-finish line.
The stewards have confirmed that Hamilton breached the regulations and didn’t slow adequately for those yellow flags. However, rather than a grid penalty, the stewards determined that a reprimand – the 40-year-old’s first of the season – was sufficient punishment.
They said: “Towards the end of Q2, Car 16 [Leclerc] spun at the exit of turn 10, triggering double waved yellow flags. Shortly afterwards, Car 44 [Hamilton] approached the same corner and was just turning in when the double yellow light panels were activated on the left-hand side of the track.
During the hearing, HAM explained that he did not see the light signal. The onboard footage confirms that the signal was only illuminated for a fraction of a second before HAM passed it.
As the driver’s focus was clearly on the turn-in-point, he was looking to the right-hand side of the track, thus the Stewards find it credible that he did not actually perceive the signal.
After reviewing the telemetry, the stewards determined that the driver hesitated while pressing the accelerator but didn’t slow down as required.
In similar past cases, the stewards have given a reprimand instead of the usual five-place grid penalty. To stay consistent, they decided that a reprimand was also fair in this situation.
As a result, Hamilton will begin Saturday’s Sprint from 11th place. He missed reaching the start-finish line in time and couldn’t post a lap fast enough to make it into SQ3. Lando Norris will start from pole position, with his McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri lining up third, while Max Verstappen will start sixth.
