Max Verstappen moves up to P4 due to a three-place grid penalty for Lewis Hamilton. During the qualifying round in Monaco, the Ferrari driver impeded the reigning world champion, after which both had to report to the stewards. “As with previous incidents of this nature, the fact that the radio message was the cause of the hindrance does not constitute a mitigating circumstance,” the statement reads.
During the qualifying round in Monaco, there was a near miss between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The reigning world champion came across the Brit, who was in the middle of a cool-down lap. Hamilton steered outwards, forcing the Dutchman off his gas and to abort his fast lap.
Verstappen made his anger clear over the team radio. Hamilton was also displeased with the situation. “I thought I was doing the right thing by staying away from everyone. The team first said that Max was on a fast lap, so I stayed to the left. Then they suddenly said: ‘No, he’s not on a fast lap’. I was about to get back up to speed and accelerated about ten meters. I was off the ideal line, but I certainly distracted him,” Hamilton explained to Sky Sports.
No Mercy
The rivals had to report to the stewards after the qualifying round, with the role of the Ferrari driver being particularly scrutinized. In retrospect, Verstappen shows more understanding for the situation. “Lewis couldn’t help it, he didn’t get the right information from the team,” he says. “I’m not trying to get him penalized, but I once got a grid penalty for holding up someone who wasn’t even on a fast lap. So if Lewis doesn’t get a penalty now, I would be surprised. But again, I know it’s a team mistake, because Lewis is usually always correct in this regard.”
However, the FIA shows no mercy. “As with previous incidents of this nature, where a driver has received incorrect or incomplete information resulting in another car being impeded, the fact that the radio message was the cause of the hindrance does not constitute a mitigating circumstance. We therefore impose the standard penalty of a drop of 3 starting places,” the statement reads. This means that Hamilton will start the race from P7, with Verstappen three places further forward at P4.
