FIA reveal exact reason why Lewis Hamilton was demoted at the Hungarian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton was unable to add to his tally of Hungarian Grand Prix wins this Sunday, having to settle for a demoted fifth place as Lando Norris made it back-to-back wins at the Hungaroring for the current F1 world champion.
The reason behind the Ferrari driver’s fifth-place finish was because he was given a five-second penalty late on in the race as he looked to chase a podium finish.
Hamilton did cross the line in fourth, but this penalty meant that he finished behind his Ferrari teammate on the results classification for the Hungarian Grand Prix, denting his fight for the drivers’ championship title.
The seven-time world champion dropped further behind leader Kimi Antonelli as the Italian finished third in the Hungarian Grand Prix, meaning Hamilton is now 50 points behind the Mercedes driver at the midpoint in the season.
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While it is not impossible for the British driver to catch Antonelli, it will require a bit of fortune moving forward with the rest of the season, something that he feels he did not have , as expressed by his comments across the team radio when he was handed his five-second penalty.
Hamilton said: “Every opportunity that I give those stewards, every single time they give me a penalty!”
The reason why the FIA gave Lewis Hamilton a five-second penalty
Hamilton suffered a tough few minutes just after the virtual safety car was withdrawn as he was told by his Ferrari team to give the place back to Antonelli.
The reason for this was because the pair crossed the pit lane exit line at almost the same time, but it appeared the Mercedes driver was slightly ahead, and so Hamilton overtook him under virtual safety car conditions, which is not allowed.
Giving the place back to Antonelli may have led Hamilton and Ferrari to believe he would not be subject to a penalty, but he was later handed a punishment by the FIA for another rule infraction by the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton was judged to have been speeding in the pit lane, and this led the FIA to hand him a five-second penalty.
In a statement the FIA said: “Car 44 exceeded the pit lane speed limit, which is set at 80 km/h for this event, by 0.1 km/h.
“Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and
Chapter 5 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.
“Decisions of the Stewards are taken independently of the FIA and are based solely on the relevant regulations, guidelines, and evidence presented.”
Lewis Hamilton speaks out about the penalty
The British driver was not happy with the decision by his Ferrari team to bring him in to change his tyres under the Virtual Safety Car, believing this led to the penalty.
Hamilton argued this meant that he surrendered second place to Max Verstappen at the Hungarian Grand Prix, opening the door for him not to finish on the podium.
Now, he has spoken about the penalty after the race, as Hamilton said: "Yeah, I definitely don't think we should have taken the stop.
"But the call came literally just before the pit lane entry, and I didn't have time to debate, and you've got to trust the decision that has been taken.
"In hindsight, my tyres were totally fine. I was probably going to lose out to Max [Verstappen], but I think I could have kept third at least.
"Then just obviously opened up the door to the penalty that I got in the end."
Topics: Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton
Brendan McGilligan