Lewis Hamilton has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Dutch Grand Prix after stewards judged that he had unnecessarily obstructed Sergio Perez of Red Bull during the first segment of qualifying today.
The stewards observed that Hamilton’s actions in Q1 led to a potential impeding situation, forcing Perez to lift off as he approached the slow-moving Mercedes.
Hamilton’s penalty follows a challenging Saturday for the seven-time world champion, who experienced a surprising exit in Q2 shortly after the impeding incident.
Although the penalty would have dropped Hamilton to P15 on the grid, Alexander Albon’s disqualification allows him to start one position higher.
Reflecting on his difficult qualifying session, Hamilton remarked that while the balance of his W15 felt decent in the opening session, it deteriorated in the second segment.
“Today was frustrating. We had been performing well throughout the weekend and I was happy with the car’s balance in Q1. Unfortunately, we struggled more in Q2, and things slipped away from us.
“I couldn’t improve my final lap time, which wasn’t enough to advance. These things happen, but I didn’t perform well enough. I’ll focus on scoring as many points as possible tomorrow and make the most of the race.”
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