Lewis Hamilton clinched his 66th career victory in Formula 1 this Sunday in Hockenheim at the German GP. While the English driver’s performance was stunning, his win was at risk after the stewards took issue with his pit-lane entry mistake.
Hamilton Reprimanded But Keeps His Epic Win In Germany
Sebastian Vettel crashed and brought out the Safety Car while in the lead on lap 52. Mercedes called Valtteri Bottas and Hamilton in. Bottas entered the pits, but Hamilton’s engineer, Peter Bonnington, told him to stay out. The Englishman cut the pit entry and went back to the track, a move which gave him track position and eventually the win. Also, that move was a violation of the FIA’s International Sporting Code.
After the race, the stewards called the race winner to hear his side of the story. As Mercedes took total responsibility for the incident, Hamilton got off without a penalty.
According to the official Formula 1 site, the stewards considered three factors in the issue. “The team candidly admitted the mistake and the fact that there was confusion within the team about whether to pit or not. The infringement took place during a Safety Car period. And that there was no danger to any other competitor and the change in direction occurred safely.”
Hamilton said that he felt it was his “chance to do the opposite” and take the lead from the pitting Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.
The Englishman now leads the World Drivers’ Championship with a 17-point gap over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who crashed out of his home race after leading most of the way.
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