Hamilton reveals why he visited F1 stewards during red flag
Lewis Hamilton visited the Formula 1 race stewards during the red flag period in the Italian Grand Prix to understand why he had received a 10-second stop/go penalty.
Hamilton was penalised after entering the pitlane while it was closed during Sunday's race at Monza, costing him the lead and dropping him to the back of the field.
The pitlane was closed shortly after the safety car was deployed so that Kevin Magnussen's stricken Haas car could be wheeled from the exit of the final corner back towards the garages.
Mercedes only became aware the pitlane was closed just as Hamilton came to pit entry, with Hamilton himself missing two boards denoting he should not enter the pits.
The stewards said Hamilton would have to serve a stop/go penalty during a red flag period caused by a big crash for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, leading to a 30-minute stoppage.
During this period, Hamilton was shown on the TV feed going up to the stewards' offices in the Monza paddock before ultimately returning to his car. He went on to finish the race seventh after serving his penalty on the race restart.
Hamilton explained after the race that he had gone to the stewards to understand why the penalty had been awarded, having not seen any red light at pit entry.
"I came back, spoke to the team, they didn't have any video, and I just wanted to see what had been missed," Hamilton said.
"I could have sworn on the entry to the pitlane there was no red light. It wasn't to see Michael [Masi], it was to see the other stewards who made the decisions with penalties.
"They just quickly showed me the onboard, and there were two signs that had an X on it. I actually didn't see them, because I was looking elsewhere.
"Then there was not really much more for me to do, so I just left, went back, got changed, and that's ultimately why I was a little bit late to the grid."
Asked by Motorsport.com how hard it was to spot the boards, Hamilton said he had not previously known the lights denoting the pitlane was closed would be shown on the left-hand side of the circuit.
"I don't remember any time coming here that that was the indicator for the pitlane closing," he said.
"I've never actually known that would be on the left. That was a new experience."
Hamilton also echoed Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff's surprise that the pitlane was closed so that Magnussen's car could be returned to the pit lane, having expected it to be wheeled backwards into a gap in the fence at Parabolica.
"I'm generally quite unsure why they pushed the car from that spot which they could have pushed the car back into," Hamilton said.
"Why the hell did they push it? I know why, but I don't understand why they took that decision necessarily, because that wasn't needed."
Related video
Mercedes explains 'weird events' that led to Hamilton penalty
Vettel glad Italian GP had no fans after Ferrari debacle
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
An ill-tempered Saudi Grand Prix made Formula 1 more soap opera than sporting spectacle at times, but there were some strong performances up and down the field on the world championship's first visit to Jeddah
How the Jeddah F1 race became a one-sitting Netflix drama series
The inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a race packed full of incident as Formula 1 2021's title contenders repeatedly clashed on track. Lewis Hamilton won out over Max Verstappen to level the scores heading into next weekend's Abu Dhabi finale, as Jeddah turned F1 into a drama series
The impressive attitude that earned Albon his second F1 chance
Dropped by Red Bull last season, Alexander Albon has fought back into a Formula 1 seat with Williams. ALEX KALINAUCKAS explains what Albon has done to earn the place soon to be vacated by the highly rated George Russell
The factors that could negate Red Bull's practice gap to Mercedes
Mercedes led the way in practice for Formula 1’s first race in Jeddah, where Red Bull was off the pace on both single-lap and long runs. But, if Max Verstappen can reverse the results on Saturday, factors familiar in motorsport’s main electric single-seater category could be decisive in another close battle with Lewis Hamilton...
Why Norris doesn’t expect Mr Nice Guy praise for much longer
Earning praise from rivals has been a welcome sign that Lando Norris is becoming established among Formula 1's elite. But the McLaren driver is confident that his team's upward curve can put him in the mix to contend for titles in the future, when he's hoping the compliments will be replaced by being deemed an equal adversary
What Ferrari still needs to improve to return to F1 title contention
After a disastrous 2020 in which it slumped to sixth in the F1 constructors' standings, Ferrari has rebounded strongly and is on course to finish third - despite regulations that forced it to carryover much of its forgettable SF1000 machine. Yet while it can be pleased with its improvement, there are still steps it must make if 2022 is to yield a return to winning ways
How F1 teams and personnel react in pressurised situations
OPINION: The pressure is firmly on Red Bull and Mercedes as Formula 1 2021 embarks on its final double-header. How the respective teams deal with that will be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the drivers' and constructors' championships, as Motorsport.com's technical consultant and ex-McLaren F1 engineer Tim Wright explains.
How getting sacked from Benetton made Mercedes' Allison
He’s had a hand in world championship-winning Formula 1 cars for Benetton, Renault and Mercedes, and was also a cog in the Schumacher-Ferrari axis. Having recently ‘moved upstairs’ as Mercedes chief technical officer, James Allison tells Stuart Codling about his career path and why being axed by Benetton was one of the best things that ever happened to him.