Lewis Hamilton feels the 10-second stop/go penalty he got for illegally entering the pits was excessive at the Italian Grand Prix.
The punishment used to be the default that stewards applied to in-race incidents, whereas now it is the harshest of four with only a disqualification exceeding it.
Typically it is only given for the most serious breaches of the rules, where the safety of drivers or other personnel are at risk.
In this case, when the pit entry is closed it is typically for safety reasons, whether it be because of marshals or a stricken car in that area.
But with Hamilton and Mercedes both insisting their breach was accidental, having failed to see the LED boards, the six-time champion thinks the penalty was harsh.
“I spoke to the team and they said that this was the penalty they had agreed or something like that,” he was quoted by GPFans.
Also Read:
“I think, ultimately, a stop/go penalty often would come if you have done something intentional, if you were driving dramatically and put someone in danger maybe.
“There is obviously the other side of things where we could have had a free stop, which no one else got to do, so I do understand it.”
Even so: “Having experienced it, [it] almost puts you out of the race 30 seconds behind the last car, so it is obviously not the greatest thing for racing,” Lewis continued.
“I don’t know if they can refine it, make it better for the future.
“Because you have to take it two laps after the race starts you can’t get a gap from anybody and you will always come out 30 seconds, or whatever it is, behind.
“I reckon they could do a better job, I will have to look back at it but I accept it and move forwards.”
During the red flag period caused by Charles Leclerc’s big crash at Parabolica, Hamilton went to the stewards’ room to seek clarification on the penalty.
“I wasn’t there, but as far as I understand, when he saw the video, he agreed that the penalty was fair,” FIA race director Michael Masi said of what happened.
But asked if he agreed with Hamilton’s decision to head to the stewards’ room without an invitation, Masi was relaxed.
“There are no such restrictions [stopping a driver from doing so], but fortunately, it’s not often that races have to be stopped with a red flag,” he explained.
“Also, the stewards always adhere to an open-door policy – if someone has questions, they can always ask them.”
