Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur found the time penalty for his driver Lewis Hamilton during the Belgian GP to be very ‘strict’. Previously, according to the Frenchman, similar incidents in the first lap of a Grand Prix this season were labeled as a ‘race incident’. “And in this case, Russell had enough space to swerve to the left,” Vasseur further argues why the collision between Hamilton and his former teammate should also have been a race incident.
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Lewis Hamilton collided with George Russell’s Mercedes during the first lap at Les Combes at Spa-Francorchamps. The Brit then spun into the gravel, ending his Belgian GP immediately. Hamilton was able to continue, but received a five-second time penalty for the incident.
‘Quite strict’
According to Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur, the penalty was far too strict. “So far, all first-lap incidents this season have been considered race incidents,” the Frenchman told the media present at Spa. “And in this case, the driver (Russell, ed.) had enough space not to overtake on the right and to swerve to the left. Ultimately, I am not the one making the decision, but it seems very strict to me.”
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Russell himself also labeled the moment with Hamilton as a ‘race incident’: “Yes, Lewis was more to blame than me, but he didn’t do anything reckless,” the Mercedes driver said afterwards. Hamilton finished fourth, partly due to the time penalty and the subsequent collision with a Ferrari team member in the pit lane.
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