Lewis Hamilton didn’t stop pushing even after clinching his fifth world title in Mexico last week. He clinched the 10th pole position of the season, his 82nd overall at one of Mercedes’ strongest track. But despite clinching pole, he wasn’t definite of starting at the very beginning, because of the close call with Sergey Sirotkin in Q2.
Sirotkin was approaching a hot-lap while Hamilton’s Mercedes was moving slowly ahead. Hamilton saw him too late and the Russian steered violently to the left. Hamilton was expected to get a penalty for impeding, but at the time of writing, the FIA hadn’t made anything official.
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Speaking post Qualifying, Lewis Hamilton wasn’t ready to let the matter down.
“Everyone was on an out-lap. Me, Sergey and everyone in front of me.
“Valtteri (Bottas) was ahead of me and he was backing off to get his gap so I had to back off. I was making sure I had the gap but then all of a sudden I saw a car coming at high speed and I was like: ‘Oh my God. Is that someone coming on a lap?’
“So I went left, but he was going left. But he wasn’t on a lap, so I don’t know what his thinking was.
“We all know to keep a gap. It was a disrespectful move. I was trying to get out of his way and then he got to the corner and slowed up.
“It was kind of strange. It was completely unnecessary because behind him there was a bit of a space so ultimately his lap and my lap wasn’t great so hopefully he can learn from it.”
The Williams’ driver, Sirotkin took a very calm approach towards the scenario. He said that Lewis Hamilton is a champion and hence knows what he’s doing. He hadn’t expected Hamilton to give him the racing line, which he was supposedly giving. He further clarified that it didn’t cost him any time.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s rival, Sebastian Vettel was called to the FIA stewards for one of the most bizarre reasons possible. And while the FIA remains mum on any penalty that Hamilton might receive as of now, if he does indeed get a penalty, we will have you covered.
