Ferrari‘s Lewis Hamilton has been handed a three-place grid drop for impeding McLaren driver Oscar Piastri in Method 1 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.
In the direction of the top of the ultimate Q3 shootout, Hamilton was driving slowly on the primary straight whereas Piastri was approaching behind him on a flying lap.
Unaware the Australian was approaching, Hamilton caught to the racing line, forcing Piastri to take avoiding motion and abort his remaining flying lap. Piastri sarcastically gave Hamilton a thumbs-up from the cockpit, whereas a confused Hamilton requested his race engineer why he hadn’t been advised the McLaren was approaching.
The FIA stewards handed the seven-time world champion a regular three-place grid drop, that means Hamilton will drop from second to fifth on Sunday’s beginning grid. Consequently, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Piastri will all transfer up a place on the grid.
“On the strategy to Flip 1, Automobile 44 was travelling at a considerably lowered velocity on the racing line whereas Automobile 81 was approaching on a push lap,” the stewards wrote of their verdict.
“The driving force of Automobile 44 defined that he had simply accomplished a quick lap and didn’t obtain the staff’s radio message concerning the approaching Automobile 81 till the latter was already in shut proximity. He additional acknowledged that, because of the positioning of his automotive on the monitor, Automobile 81 was not seen in his mirrors.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Picture by: Steven Tee / LAT Photos by way of Getty Photos
“Automobile 81, which was on a push lap, was compelled to take avoiding motion by working vast and being obliged to abort the lap.
“Having examined the accessible proof, the Stewards decided that Automobile 44 unnecessarily impeded Automobile 81 throughout qualifying.”
Antonelli remains to be awaiting his personal verdict on allegedly infringing a yellow flag on the finish of his remaining qualifying lap as he handed the stationary Crimson Bull of Max Verstappen.
“It was fairly dangerous,” Piastri mentioned. “I noticed him from the beginning line, anticipating him to get out of the best way and I watched him principally all the best way up till I almost hit him. So, yeah, a disgrace.”
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