FIA race director Michael Masi has revealed why Sir Lewis Hamilton didn’t pick up a penalty for reversing back onto the track after going wide at the Tosa hairpin during the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Hamilton ran wide as he tried to lap a car as he was hunting down Max Verstappen for the lead of the grand prix, and he owned up to his mistake in a post-race interview.
Follow us on Google News to never miss an F1 story!
Explaining why the seven-time World Champion wasn’t investigated for reversing back onto the circuit, Masi noted that Hamilton returned to the track in a safe manner as he was in constant communication with his race engineer to make sure he didn’t obstruct a competitor.
“I think, looking at the incident at the time, reversing out of the gravel trap to the edge of the circuit, listening to Lewis’s radio between he and his team, they were absolutely advising him all the way through where that was,” Masi told reporters.
READ: EXCLUSIVE: Ex-F1 CTO Casts Doubt On Mercedes & Aston Martin’s Low-Rake Performance Claim
“So, in that particular circumstance, same thing again, I wouldn’t consider reporting that to the stewards,” he added.
Continuing, Masi stressed that reversing back onto the track isn’t against the rules; it only warrants a penalty if a driver returns to the circuit in an unsafe manner.
“It’s a case by case basis that you need to review the complete set of circumstances that sit around it,” he concluded.
READ: Wolff: Bottas-Russell Crash Likely To Limit Mercedes Upgrades This Season