Lewis Hamilton has been issued a reprimand by Formula 1 stewards after being found guilty of impeding Liam Lawson during the second free practice session of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The incident occurred as Lawson was on a hot lap and was forced to take evasive action to avoid the slow-moving Hamilton through the flat-out left-right handers leading onto the long start-finish straight in Baku.
Lawson, the Racing Bulls driver, reacted furiously over team radio, branding Hamilton's actions as "so dangerous." However, Hamilton defended himself by blaming the 2026 engine regulations for the near-miss, revealing that he was caught harvesting energy through the final sector, which caused his car to move at a significantly reduced speed.
The stewards took Hamilton's defence into consideration but still deemed the Ferrari driver guilty of "severe" and unnecessary impeding. They pointed out that the 41-year-old Briton had failed to follow the traffic-management instructions issued by the race director in his pre-event notes. The normal penalty for such an infringement during a free practice session would be a warning, but Hamilton was reprimanded due to the severity of the incident.
In their verdict, the stewards stated: "HAM was on an out lap and LAW was approaching on a flying lap. HAM had been informed twice by his team that LAW was approaching. The Race Director's Competition Notes require cars on out laps or slow laps to remain on the extreme left from the exit of Turn 16 to the entry of Turn 18, and require Teams and Drivers to manage their gaps before Turn 18 so that they can travel from the apex of Turn 18 to the apex of Turn 19 without impeding a car on a competitive lap."
The stewards added that Hamilton did not remain on the extreme left between Turns 16 and 18, and approaching Turn 19, while Lawson was closing from behind, Hamilton stayed on the racing line, requiring Lawson to lift and slightly brake. "The Stewards therefore determined that HAM did not follow the traffic-management instructions and unnecessarily impeded LAW," the statement continued. They also took into account the difficulty of managing energy deployment from Turn 16 to Turn 19 and the end of the lap, as well as both drivers' comments during the hearing that when a driver has no more energy to deploy, the difference in speed between the two cars in that specific section is significant.
This is Hamilton's second reprimand of the 2026 season. He also received a reprimand for failing to slow for a yellow flag during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Under F1 regulations, drivers get four penalty-free reprimands per season, but a fifth triggers an automatic 10-place grid penalty for the next race they contest. Therefore, Hamilton still has some margin before facing a grid penalty, but this incident serves as an important note for the Ferrari team in managing communication and energy strategy for the remainder of the season.
The incident also highlights the complexity of the 2026 engine regulations, which require drivers to manage energy strictly, especially on street circuits like Baku with its high-speed characteristics and flat-out corners. Poor energy management not only affects performance but can also pose a safety risk to other drivers. Both drivers and teams are now required to be more disciplined in adhering to race director instructions to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Baca Juga
Lewis Hamilton mendapat teguran dari steward F1 usai menghalangi Liam Lawson di latihan bebas GP Azerbaijan. Insiden ini menjadi teguran kedua Hamilton musim ini.
Bos Audi Mattia Binotto mengungkap rencana F1 kembali ke mesin V8 dan sistem push-to-pass ala IndyCar. Simak detailnya di sini.
Lewis Hamilton hanya finis kelima di FP2 GP Azerbaijan, terpaut 1,3 detik dari Mercedes. Ia tetap optimistis Ferrari bisa bangkit dengan fokus pada pengelolaan ban.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!