By Joe Murphy
Lewis Hamilton has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Monaco Grand Prix after impeding Max Verstappen during qualifying. The incident occurred in the first sector of the Circuit de Monaco, where Hamilton was driving slowly on the racing line and blocked Verstappen’s path while the Red Bull driver was on a push lap.
The impeding incident happened due to a miscommunication between Hamilton and his Ferrari race engineer, Riccardo Adami. Hamilton was initially told that Verstappen was on a slow lap, prompting him to accelerate back towards the racing line. However, Verstappen was actually on a fast lap, and Hamilton’s actions forced him to abort his lap and move off the racing line.
The stewards investigated the incident and determined that Hamilton had indeed impeded Verstappen. Although Hamilton’s team accepted that the incorrect radio message led to the incident, the stewards ruled that this did not amount to a mitigating factor. As a result, Hamilton was given a standard penalty of a three-place grid drop.
The penalty demotes Hamilton from fourth to seventh on the grid for the Monaco Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Verstappen moves up to fourth place, one spot behind his title rival Oscar Piastri. The grid changes are expected to have a significant impact on the race, given the narrow and challenging nature of the Monaco circuit.
Fans took to social media to react to the penalty, with some expressing frustration and others pointing out that the penalty was justified. Verstappen himself seemed understanding, stating that the team’s incorrect message was the primary cause of the incident. However, he also emphasized that impeding incidents should be penalized consistently.
“I think I was doing a good job of staying out of the way of everyone, but then the team said Max was on a fast lap, so I was to the left, then they said ‘no, he’s not on a fast lap’,” said Lewis Hamilton himself.
However, Verstappen disagrees; “at the time, you see the car blocking you, and when you’re there at high speed, it’s not nice. I saw the team told him I was driving slow when I was clearly driving fast, so it’s not Lewis’ fault”. Fans are clearly split, but the penalty stands.
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