Lewis Hamilton will keep his third place in the Formula 1 British Grand Prix after getting off with a reprimand for a yellow-flag infringement.
Hamilton was investigated by the FIA race stewards for allegedly speeding through a yellow-flag zone during the Silverstone race, passing the stranded Audi of Nico Hulkenberg.
Video evidence showed that Hamilton entered the yellow sector in Turn 9 before the yellow flag was displayed and only received a warning on his dashboard at the end of it, while he had also been distracted by the wheel-to-wheel battle with Max Verstappen.
The stewards accepted that the seven-time world champion only had little time to react to the yellows, but as he didn’t reduce speed they still handed him a reprimand.
As a result Hamilton retains third place behind his winning team-mate Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell, with the pair benefitting from a late retirement from championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
After talking to the stewards, Hamilton said he was expecting to lose his podium. “I’m probably going to get a penalty right now as well, so I’ll probably lose [it]. I went through a yellow flag and I didn’t see it,” Hamilton told Sky.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
The race ended under the safety car after a late accident for Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at Stowe, which cost Hamilton a position as he pitted for tyres while Russell stayed out. That gained Russell track position, with the safety car staying out until the finish.
The stewards’ decision in full
“HAM entered the relevant sector before any yellow flag or yellow light panel was displayed, with no such indication present before Turn 9.
“The first light panel encountered after Turn 9 was displaying green immediately before Turn 10. The yellow indication on the steering wheel display only appeared once the driver was already on the straight towards Turn 10 and close to the end of the yellow flag zone. The evidence showed that there was no yellow light panel warning within the driver’s immediate field of vision and that the yellow indication on the steering wheel display remained visible for only a very short period.
“The Stewards were therefore satisfied that the time available for the driver to react to the yellow flag indication was very limited. The Stewards also accept that, immediately prior to entering the sector, HAM had been involved in an overtaking manoeuvre with VER and that the driver was expecting a counter attack. As a result, his attention remained directed to his mirrors for most of the straight towards Turn 10, rather than immediately towards the green light panel at the end of the sector. The Stewards took this into account when considering whether the visibility of the green light panel should itself have made it clear to the driver that he was still within a yellow flag zone.
“The Stewards nevertheless determine that, after the yellow had been displayed on the steering wheel display and the green light panel was illuminated immediately before Turn 10, HAM did not make a discernible reduction of speed and therefore did not fully comply with the requirements applicable under a single yellow flag.
“In determining the penalty, the Stewards took into account that HAM had entered the sector before the yellow was shown, that the yellow indication reached the driver only when he was already near the end of the sector, that the time and distance available to react were very limited, and that the driver’s attention had, for understandable reasons, been occupied by the immediately preceding battle with another car. In those circumstances, the Stewards considered that a Reprimand was the appropriate penalty.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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