Lewis Hamilton might be thanking his lucky stars ahead of Sunday, as the seven-time World Champion managed to avoid a probable grid penalty despite having overtaken Kevin Magnussen under red flag conditions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The incident in question took place in Free Practice 3, whilst Magnussen was on a slow lap whereas Hamilton was on a hot lap.
The Brit flew past the Haas driver right as a red flag was flown following debris on the circuit, with Lando Norris informing his team of what had happened.
Understandably, the FIA decided to investigate the matter but came to the decision not to award a penalty, following a similar situation which took place in 2021.
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Hamilton was let off due to having “completely lifted” off the throttle as soon as the red flag was flown, something which was discovered after telemetry was looked into.
The FIA released the following statement on the matter and why the 37-year-old won’t face a penalty on Sunday.
“The driver of Car 44 stated that he was on a fast lap, he saw the Red Light, immediately completely lifted the throttle and applied the brakes, whilst checking his mirrors for cars following in close proximity,” the FIA stated.
“He stated that he had, in doing so, gone past Car 20.
“The Stewards took note of the precedent in relation to the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix (Max Verstappen), where no action was taken against the driver under similar but not identical circumstances.
“It is our conclusion that the driver of Car 44 took every reasonable action to comply with the regulations in that he immediately reduced speed in a safe manner at the earliest opportunity upon the first indication of the red light,” the stewards said.
With no penalty hanging over him, the Mercedes driver will start Sunday’s season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit in fifth place, following a disappointing qualifying.
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After a few Grand Prix’s of strong pace as of late, the Silver Arrows returned well and truly to being third best in qualifying.
Hamilton and George Russell locked out the third row, with the duo being almost seven-tenths behind pole sitter Max Verstappen and four-tenths behind third-placed Charles Leclerc.
It means that it’s highly unlikely that the Brackley-based team will overcome their 19-point deficit to Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship, unless a frenetic race takes place to wrap up the season.