Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will be breathing a sigh of relief after avoiding a penalty for allegedly driving unnecessarily slowly during qualifying in Baku.
Lando Norris and Hamilton were under investigation by the stewards following an incident at the end of Q2 where Lewis slowed down to allow the McLaren drivers to pass, with the hopes of getting a tow.
Unsurprisingly, Lando slowed down to avoid passing Hamilton and was told by his race engineer “don’t let him play silly buggers”.
The Stewards deemed no further action was necessary with the decision reasoning reading, “Although car 44 [Hamilton] was slow, the Stewards note that for the lap delta time was respected, the driver pulled over to the left of the racing line, this occurred on a straight where visibility was not an issue and there was no potential danger at any point”
No further action #44 pic.twitter.com/Lcgdze9M48
— Jennie Gow (@JennieGow) June 11, 2022
When asked about the incident Lewis echoed the views of the Stewards, “We’re one of the slowest in the straight so, I needed a tow,” Hamilton told media including The Race.
“The rule is you have to be within your delta time from the safety car one line to two line – I was within my delta.
“I slowed down and pulled completely off-line to let other cars go, but they didn’t want to go by.”
Norris stayed behind Hamilton and the incident did not stop him from completing his final runs. He said he did not feel that Hamilton should be penalised as he “did nothing wrong”.
Do you agree with the stewards’ decision?