Lewis Hamilton Found Guilty at Brazilian GP
Lewis Hamilton was found guilty of not slowing down for yellow flags during qualifying for the Sprint race at the São Paulo Grand Prix but avoided a grid penalty.
Incident Details
The incident happened in the second part of Friday's qualifying session after his teammate Charles Leclerc spun off the track. Onboard footage from Hamilton's Ferrari showed him passing the section of the Interlagos circuit without visibly reducing speed.
Yellow Flag Regulations
Double-waved yellow flags require drivers to slow down and be prepared to stop. Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, did not comply while trying to reach the start-finish line.
Stewards’ Decision
The stewards confirmed Hamilton broke the rules by failing to slow sufficiently for the yellow flags. Instead of a grid penalty, they issued him a reprimand—his first of the season.
"Towards the end of Q2, Car 16 [Leclerc] spun at the exit of turn 10, triggering double waved yellow flags. Shortly afterwards, Car 44 [Hamilton] approached the same corner and was just turning in when the double yellow light panels were activated on the left-hand side of the track. During the hearing, HAM explained that he did not see the light signal."
Hamilton’s explanation was that he did not notice the yellow light signal during the approach to the corner.
Summary
The stewards deemed a reprimand sufficient, sparing Hamilton from a more severe grid penalty despite the clear breach of safety rules.
Author's summary: Lewis Hamilton was reprimanded, not penalized, after failing to slow for double yellow flags at the Brazilian GP qualifying, marking his first disciplinary action of the season.