Lewis Hamilton was rescued by Formula 1 bosses from the penalty points. He was penalized by stewards for violating practice start regulation at Sochi Autodrom.
The penalties had moved Hamilton to a difficult position. He was two point away from an automatic race ban.
The Brit was saved because he was allowed by the team to start beyond the usual starting point.
However, the team has been fined instead with 25,000 euros. Ten seconds penalty resulted in losing the lead and ultimately victory.
Nonetheless, Valterri Bottas managed to keep the victory for the team. He currently holds 161 points with a gap of 44 points from his team mate.
Hamilton disapproved the stewards decision. And Max Verstappen, Red Bull’s alpha, also conceded that it was a “bit harsh”.
FIA’s stewards changed the decision without an appeal. However, it came after Mercedes officials and Hamilton confirmed the details of the event. Team was accounted for the viotlation.
Hamilton criticism on 10 point penalty
Hamilton criticized the penalty decision on a television interview. He said, “It is to be expected. They’re trying to stop me, aren’t they?”
He added a clarification of the statement during official news conference. He said, “I don’t necessarily think it’s for me.
“Whenever a team is at the front, they are under a lot of scrutiny. Everything we have on our car is being triple checked and triple checked. They are changing rules, such as the engine regs, lots of things to keep the racing exciting, I assume.
“I don’t know if the rules in terms of what happened today was anything to do with it, but naturally that’s how it feels. It feels we’re fighting uphill. But that’s OK. It’s not like I haven’t faced adversity before.”
Shovlin: Not surprised by Hamilton’s penalties
Michael Masi, FIA race director, explained: “If Lewis wants to raise something, as I have said to him before and all the drivers numerous times, the door is always open. I am more than happy to discuss anything.
“But from an FIA perspective, we are there as a sporting regulator to administer the regulations.
“We have the stewards as an independent judiciary.Therefore, there was an infringement and it doesn’t matter if it was Lewis Hamilton or any one of the other 19 drivers. They will consider it on its merits and adjudicate equitably and fairly in the circumstances.”
