Lewis Hamilton penalised by F1 stewards ahead of British Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton is in trouble with the Formula 1 stewards ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

It has been another difficult season for seven-time world champion Hamilton as Mercedes continue to struggle to adapt to F1’s new regulations.

So far this season, all races have been won by Red Bull, with Max Verstappen winning seven and Sergio Perez winning two.

Despite bringing in upgrades over the last few races, Mercedes are still a long way off from getting anywhere close to Red Bull, who currently look way faster than the rest of the grid.

Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Hamilton has already been penalised by the stewards after turning up late to a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The press conference was due to start at 1:30pm but it was reported that the Brit arrived a few minutes late and was therefore forced to slide his way through journalists before taking his seat.

Mercedes’ team manager received a note from the F1 stewards, which read: “The team representative is required to report to the stewards at 11:15 [on Friday], in relation to the incident below... alleged breach of Article 19.1 a) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations - late attendance of the press conference.”

A decision has since been made with Hamilton escaping a fine after Mercedes received a reprimand.

During the press conference, Hamilton spoke about his future after rumours that contract talks have hit a stumbling block.

He said: “It is taking longer for us to get where we want to be. I believe we will get there. We just have to work and chip away at it.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Hamilton said: “That [leaving] is not what I'm thinking. Before the end of the season we'll be already well into the contract.

“I still have 100 per cent faith in this team. I'm hoping to be here a lot longer. I feel like I've got another five years in me at least, no? Let's see.”

Hamilton was also asked about the potential threats of Just Stop Oil protests after they disrupted the Wimbledon tennis tournament this week.

The 38-year-old said: “I support peaceful protests... From my perspective, and my team’s perspective, we are focused on sustainability and we believe in what people [the protesters] are fighting for and we are making those changes as a sport.

“But safety is key. We don’t want to put them in harm’s way and we don’t want to put anyone else in harm’s way. If there was to be one [a protest] we hope it is not on track.”