Video from the Dutch Grand Prix weekend has revealed the moment Lewis Hamilton was caught speeding on his way to the grid before the race began.
The stewards issued the Ferrari driver a five-place grid penalty for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix due to the error.
The incident occured as drivers completed their reconnaissance laps at Zandvoort before the race began. The stewards noted drivers had been warned yellow flags would be displayed at the final corner at this time.
“Due to the nature of the track, the race director had informed all participants that the last corner before the pit lane would have double yellow flags waved. This was to ensure the safety of those on the grid and in the pit lane.”
Drivers routinely complete multiple reconnaissance laps before the race to check their cars. Hamilton did so at Zandvoort. The stewards noted the rules state “drivers covering more than one reconnaissance lap [are] to drive down the pit entry road at ‘greatly reduced speed’.”
The video shows Hamilton passing a double waved yellow flag signal in the final corner as he headed into the pit lane entrance at the end of a reconnaissance lap. The stewards ruled he did not slow down sufficiently at this time.
“The data showed that the driver had entered the double yellow sector approximately 20kph less than his speed at the same point in practice sessions, had reduced throttle application in the order of 10% to 20% and had lifted and braked 70 metres earlier when entering the pit lane,” they noted.
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“We did not consider that a 20kph reduction in speed at a double waved yellow sector constituted reducing speed ‘significantly’. We also did not consider the speed at which the driver entered the pit entry road as being at a ‘greatly’ reduced speed.”
Although the incident occured before the race began the stewards did not issue a verdict until after the finish. They said the delay was in order to examine the FIA’s telemetry and further data which they requested from Ferrari. As Hamilton’s penalty was issued after the race, and he did not finish the race, it had to take the form of a grid drop for the upcoming weekend.
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