Hamilton penalised following Singapore Grand Prix, drops to P8
- Meghana Sree
- 11 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Lewis Hamilton has received a five-second time penalty at the Singapore Grand Prix for leaving the track multiple times without a justifiable reason. The Ferrari driver drops to eighth, promoting Fernando Alonso to seventh.
A frustrating weekend comes to an even more disappointing close for Lewis Hamilton after receiving a five-second time penalty for leaving the track multiple times during the race.
The official FIA statement reads: "During the hearing, the driver confirmed that he left the track at several occasions.
"He was trying to manage a brakes issue situation. This being said, after further
investigation, and in accordance with the list of exemptions foreseen in the Driving
Standards Guidelines, the Stewards considered that this was not a justifiable reason
and apply the usual penalty for such type of infringement. This was not contested by
the team representative nor the driver."
Hamilton, starting sixth having outqualified teammate Charles Leclerc, got off to a slow start and was pipped by Leclerc through the opening laps. Later in the race, Hamilton opted to take a second pit-stop for a new set of softs, then set off with promising pace.
However, he soon reported a brakes failure and was unable to catch Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, forcing him to give sixth place back to Leclerc.
The penalty caps an already heartbreaking run of Grands Prix for the seven-time champion who is yet to step on the podium with his new red outfit.
Following the penalty, Fernando Alonso is promoted to seventh, taking valuable points for Aston Martin after a frustrating race for the Spaniard: complete with slow pit stops, radio interruptions and plenty of on-track drama.
For Hamilton, Singapore joins the long string of disheartening races as he will set his sights on Austin for a change of fortune for both him and Ferrari as a team, who have slipped further away from second-placed Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship and are now adrift by 25 points.
