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“It’s a ridiculous rule!” – Lewis Hamilton slams the F1 penalty points system after double time penalty in the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi

Subham Jindal
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"It's a ridiculous rule!" - Lewis Hamilton slams the F1 penalty points system after double time penalty in the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi

“It’s a ridiculous rule!” – Lewis Hamilton has slammed the F1 penalty points, after being just two penalty points away from a race ban.

Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton had a less than ideal weekend at the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi. In spite of qualifying first on the grid, he could only manage a third-place finish. Much of it was done to the double five-second time penalties he received for incidents before the race start.

The first one was after he failed to follow track directives from the Race Director Michael Masi. He has specified to all drivers that practice starts could only take place “on the right-hand side after the pit exit lights”.

The second penalty was for violating the FIA Sporting Regulations. The regulation states “going to the pit exit must do so at a constant speed and with constant throttle.” This applies to the whole of the pit lane, which ends with the white line, allowing drivers to rejoin the race track.

Not only did he receive the penalties, but also added two penalty points on his superlicense. This means Hamilton is just 2 points away from a race ban, provided the offence is committed in the next four races. Nevertheless, Hamilton was least pleased by it, slamming the penalty points rules as “ridiculous.”

“It’s ridiculous the points they’ve been giving people this year in general. I would say from a driver’s point of view if you put someone else in danger, you crash into somebody, of course you should be getting penalty points.”

“I did not harm anybody, I didn’t put anyone in harm’s way. So ultimately, it’s a ridiculous rule.”

He also added that he’s gone without penalties for multiple seasons, and will ensure a ‘clean race’ henceforth this season.

“I’ve gone through seasons before without penalties. So, I just have to make sure I give no reason, not even a sniff to be able to do something.”

Also Read: Charles Leclerc hits Racing Point car before Stroll hit barriers

Max Verstappen in support of rival Hamilton

Hamilton received somewhat unlikely support in the form of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. As per the Dutchman, the time penalties were alright, but the penalty points were a bit too much. His point of argument, like Lewis, was that the latter did not harm anybody in the process.

“I mean if you cause a crash it’s different, right? But I think the penalty Lewis got was already painful enough. Two points…It’s a bit harsh, that he’s up to 10 points. I mean OK, maybe it was not correct where he stopped, but penalty points for that? I’m not sure that’s correct.”

About the author

Subham Jindal

Subham Jindal

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A Red - be it Manchester United or Ferrari. Hails from the hills of Kalimpong, Darjeeling. Aspiring to become a respected Sports Management professional.

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