Ferrari condemns “harsh” Lewis Hamilton penalty in F1 Belgian GP

The Ferrari Components 1 workforce has criticised the penalty issued to Lewis Hamilton within the Belgian Grand Prix, describing it as “harsh”. 

Hamilton was handed a five-second time penalty for a gap lap collision with George Russell that resulted within the Mercedes driver getting beached within the gravel at Les Combes and retiring. 

The seven-time world champion served his penalty throughout his one and solely pit cease and in the end completed fourth, having overtaken McLaren’s Oscar Piastri within the closing phases. 

However Ferrari has made it clear it disagrees with the penalty. 

„I believe it’s kind of harsh as a result of it is Lap 1, thus far into the season there was no penalty [for similar],“ Ferrari workforce principal Fred Vasseur advised F1 TV after the race. 

„You probably have a glance on the nook at Russell, he had house on the left-hand facet. It isn’t that he was near the wall. I believe it is extra a racing incident for me.“

Hamilton additionally felt the penalty was disproportionate, regardless of the stewards outlining their clarification for punishing him. 

„It was in the end a troublesome weekend,“ Hamilton stated afterwards.

„I take all of the duty for my incident yesterday [when he crashed in FP3], which then had a knock-on impact of the setup not being proper, after which misplaced in qualifying. As a result of I believe with the setup proper, I might have been most likely, I believe I may have been fifth or third or second.

„After which, that meant beginning additional again, after which I used to be ready the place George clearly regarded like he misplaced energy, after which he simply swooped round on the skin, and we simply form of had a coming collectively.

„I bought broken, after which within the race, I did the perfect I may with the injury that I had, after which additionally the penalty. I believe it was a racing incident, so I do not suppose there must be a penalty for that.”

Hamilton revealed he plans to achieve out to Russell, who thought-about the collision to be a “racing incident” and felt no penalty was mandatory, after the race. 

„I am going to textual content him afterward as a result of we cannot get to see [each other],” Hamilton added. 

“Everybody rushes out it right here. I used to be considering that is the very last thing you ever wish to do is come collectively along with your teammate or along with your outdated workforce who you extremely respect.”