Lewis Hamilton ‘shocked’ by Monza five-place grid penalty after Dutch GP yellow-flag breach
Italian Grand Prix F1 News
Lewis Hamilton says he was “shocked” to learn he will serve a five-place grid penalty at this weekend’s Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, a sanction stemming from a double-waved yellow-flag infringement before the start of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
Race stewards ruled Hamilton drove too quickly under double-waved yellow flags on a reconnaissance lap at Zandvoort. Because he later crashed out of the race, what would have been a time penalty was converted into a grid drop for Monza.
The Ferrari driver said he didn’t find out until he arrived home on Sunday night. “I don’t know how the other drivers have felt about the decisions of the last race, but I mean, I landed back home and then saw that I got this penalty and I was really, really shocked, to be honest. But I mean, it is what it is,” he said in Monza ahead of this weekend’s race.
“It’s obviously not black and white. The fact is, if you look at the report, I did lift [off the throttle], but to their liking, not enough. And so, yeah, that’s why it’s, I guess they’re saying not more, but to get the penalty and get penalty points, it’s pretty hardcore.
“But I learned from it and there’s no point whinging about it. I’ll just move forward. It’s going to be challenging this weekend, because qualifying is already so close between us all. So just getting in Q3 is tough. Getting in the top five is very, very tough.
“And then on top of that, to then be set back five places is not great when you’re going into your first Monza GP with Ferrari. But, you know, it gives me more to fight for. And I’m very motivated to make up those places regardless.”
Hamilton Reflects on Zandvoort Weekend
Despite his Zandvoort retirement, Hamilton felt the team made strides over the weekend and described his crash at the banked Turn 3 as the product of multiple factors in damp conditions at the Dutch Grand Prix.
“I think throughout the weekend, I think the approach that we had, I think was spot on,” he said. “And yeah, I felt like it was one of our strongest, if not the strongest and smoothest weekend, up until obviously Sunday.
“And Sunday was obviously both disappointing and unfortunate. That’s not the result that we want. I said that it’s unusual for me because I don’t really make a lot of mistakes in races like that.
“But the great thing is that the team remained really, really positive. They’re incredibly supportive every single weekend. Even though personally you don’t feel great about it, they lift your spirits.
“And then the following days, really, they were deep diving into trying to understand what led to it because it wasn’t a case of me lacking concentration. There were several things that contributed to it.
“So for example, we had a downgraded gear shift which locked the rear wheels and spat the rear end out. But also it was spitting with rain. So I was like 10 millimetres wider or something like that, or 10 centimetres wider than I was the previous lap.
“So there are a combination of things. Either way, it’s not great. And I learned from it and moved forward.
“If I apply that same approach this weekend and to the following races, I really feel positive of the direction we’re going.”
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