Why Lewis Hamilton avoided penalty for pit-lane debacle

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has been reprimanded by stewards but escaped a sanction that would have stripped him of a stunning German Grand Prix victory.

The decision was announced after the Briton was summoned by Hockenheim stewards for a possible pit-lane infringement.

The Mercedes driver, who won from 14th on the grid, was suspected of having illegally crossed a line separating the entry from the track when he hurriedly changed his mind about pitting during a safety car period.

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Hamilton finished 4.5 seconds ahead of Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas, and 6.7 clear of Ferrari’s third-placed Kimi Raikkonen, but a time penalty would have demoted him down the order.

Stewards took into consideration the fact that the incident happened when the safety car was deployed and at a time of confusion on the pit wall.

They also found that “at no time was there any danger to any other competitor and the change in direction was executed in a safe way”.

The summons came more than an hour after the end of the race at Hockenheim, after the podium presentations and news conferences.

Hamilton’s victory had catapulted him 17 points clear of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, the home favourite who crashed out while leading on a wet and slippery track.

“I started turning in, then they asked me to box and then I said ‘Kimi is pitting’ and then they said ‘Stay out’ and I was already in the lane,” Hamilton told reporters after the race when asked what had happened.

“So I started turning out and trying to go over the grass and then they said ‘no, stay in!’ and I was already back on track.

“It was really confusing because they were all panicking on the pit wall, I was probably the only relaxed one. They were shouting ‘yes, no, come in, don’t come in’. It was exciting.”

It was the 66th win of his F1 career and minutes after the finish, the heavens opened with an array of thunder and lightning and a fierce downpour that would have stopped any race.

“Miracles do happen, mate,” Hamilton’s race engineer Pete Bonnington told him over the radio after a slow-burner that turned into one of the great comebacks of the Briton’s already stellar career.

Hamilton, who threw himself across the pitlane wall into the arms of his mechanics and also got a bear-hug from delighted Mercedes-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche, seemed about as stunned as anyone.

“The rain has come down and washed away all the negativity and its a glorious day,” Hamilton said.

“It couldn’t be a better day.”

with AAP