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Lewis Hamilton did not like the double punishment he suffered at the Russian Grand Prix and it was important that he did not pass third place in the race where he had the first chance to match Michael Schumacher’s 91 Formula 1 victories. He took two penalties of 5s each for an infraction committed before even lining up the car on the grid: he would have rehearsed exits, twice, in an illegal place.
The six-time champion defended himself saying he did nothing different from other events, while his boss, Toto Wolff, said the punishment was “unconvincing” as the rules were unclear as to where the drivers could do. your initial rehearsals.
At least, of the evils, the least for Hamilton, who initially also had two points added to his super license, reaching 10 and getting two to be suspended for a test. But, hours after the GP, the stewards returned, after several criticisms even from other drivers, and continues with 8 points, which are starting to win after the Turkish GP, in four stages.
Why was Hamilton punished?
He broke two rules: the first is not to “maintain constant acceleration when leaving the pitlane”, which is in article 36.1 of the sports regulations. And the second is part of another document, which is distributed to teams on Thursdays before testing (and sometimes receives updates over the weekend, which was not the case in Sochi), called “notes from the director. Of proof “. This document talks about the particularities of each track, such as the entrance and exit location of the box, Safety Car line, etc.
In article 19 of these “notes from the race director”, which speaks directly about the start tests, it is written that the driver can only do these exercises “to the right after the starting lights of the pitlane and, of course, This includes any Time when the pitlane exit is open. Drivers must allow adequate space for another driver to pass. For safety and sporting fairness reasons, cars may not stop on the fast lane (left side of the pitlane) at any time when exiting the pitlane. pitlane “.
Why were there two punishments?
Hamilton ran two start tests before lining up on the grid. The first was at 1:32 pm local and the second at 1:35 pm. As he acted the same in both cases, he was sanctioned twice. In each of them, he received 5 seconds of punishment, which is the second lowest possible penalty. The first would be just a warning. He served his sentences in one go, in his only pit stop.
Was it the fault of Hamilton or the team?
In this video published by Formula 1, it is clear that Hamilton asked the team if he could go further down the track to practice his starts and receives the information he did. “There is only rubber here, can I go further?” and the engineer says yes, he just has to make room for rivals to pass, which he did.
Are Hamilton and Mercedes right to complain?
If we rely only on what is written in the “race director’s notes” document, it makes sense to complain that it was not clear where the start test was allowed since, in the document, it says “on the right after the pitlane line “, without further specification.
“Generally, in all races, or at least this year, I always do my initial practice later. I never had a problem, I have done it for years. I never did it here I think, but what [a regra] says[yquetienesquemantenertealaderechadespuésdelaslucesdepitlaneperonodicecuántomásadelanteYnomegustaquedarmedondeestáengomadodondelosdemáscomienzansussesionesdeentrenamientoasíquetratodeiraunlugarconmenosgoma”[equevocêtemqueficaràdireitadepoisdasluzesdopitlanemasnãofalaoquantoparafrenteEeunãogostodeficarondeestáemborrachadoondeosoutrosfazemseustreinosdelargadaentãoeutentoirparaumlugarcommenosborracha”[yquetienesquemantenertealaderechadespuésdelaslucesdepitlaneperonodicecuántomásadelanteYnomegustaquedarmedondeestáengomadodondelosdemáscomienzansussesionesdeentrenamientoasíquetratodeiraunlugarconmenosgoma”[equevocêtemqueficaràdireitadepoisdasluzesdopitlanemasnãofalaoquantoparafrenteEeunãogostodeficarondeestáemborrachadoondeosoutrosfazemseustreinosdelargadaentãoeutentoirparaumlugarcommenosborracha”
Hamilton’s boss, Toto Wolff, followed the same line and also said he spoke clearly about the rules, but said he respected the commissioners’ work, although he had to disagree. “Taking 10s for something that happened on the recon laps can also be debated. But we have to take the hit and move on.
In the text of the punishment, it is specified that the start test can only be performed in a place “that is off the track, defined by the lines”. Hamilton, in fact, was doing his rehearsals on the track. And it is that, as other runners, such as Daniel Ricciardo, affirmed that “it was very clear where it was possible to train from the start, although you did not change from Friday to the race”, it is possible that this additional information was transmitted at the meeting of the runners and representatives. team, which always takes place with the race management on Friday afternoons.
Why do pilots practice starting?
The grip of the track changes a lot during the weekend, so from free practice the drivers do a sequence of start tests at the exit of the pitlane, which is the only place where they can repeat this on Sundays, and also on the grid at the end of the sessions. The engineers then calculate the clutch settings for the best possible start-up by crossing the data from these two benchmarks, and the drivers adopt the chosen setting using the steering wheel controls.
Why did the FIA fall back on points?
This double punishment had left Hamilton in a delicate position in relation to the points added to his super license. He had reached 10, at 12 he would receive an automatic suspension. This is because these points are tied to the chosen punishment and when a pilot takes 5 seconds, he usually takes a point in the “wallet” as well. All the drivers who were asked about this, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo, agreed that giving Hamilton points for a violation this Sunday was excessive.
A few hours after the completion of the Russian Grand Prix, the FIA, claiming to have heard from Mercedes that it was they who instructed Hamilton to stop at the place where he did the test start, decided that the points would be revoked. So now Hamilton has 8 points. Since these points are valid for 12 months, if you earn four more points during the next four races, you will be suspended.
