Hamilton Penalized: 5-Place Grid Penalty for the Monza GP

Lewis Hamilton Penalized with Grid Penalty for the Monza Grand Prix

British driver Lewis Hamilton has been penalized with five positions on the starting grid for the Monza Grand Prix, Ferrari’s home race. The sanction is due to a violation of the rules under yellow flags during the reconnaissance laps prior to the Dutch Grand Prix. Hamilton was summoned before the stewards for exceeding the speed limit under yellow flags during the reconnaissance laps before Sunday’s race. Unlike other Formula 1 circuits, the Zandvoort track design causes the pit lane entry to overlap with the rear of the grid.

To ensure the safety of those visiting and working on the grid before the race, the race director issued a note to all drivers and teams in advance, stating that double yellow flags would be displayed at the last corner to ensure that drivers reduced their speed “significantly” before entering the pits.

After reviewing the telemetry, the stewards determined that Hamilton had not reduced his speed sufficiently to comply with the rules regarding double yellow flags.

The decision, issued almost four hours after the race, came after a disappointing afternoon for Hamilton, who abandoned the race after an accident on lap 23, when he was in seventh position. Hamilton’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, avoided a penalty at Monza after the stewards deemed his collision with George Russell at the Dutch Grand Prix a racing incident. Leclerc and Russell were battling for fifth position when the Ferrari driver lunged down the inside of the Mercedes at Turn 12 and they collided. The stewards investigated whether Leclerc had caused a collision, also analyzing whether he had gained an advantage by going off track. The investigation into the incident between Leclerc and Russell concluded…