Mercedes slapped with a penalty due to Lewis Hamilton’s errors at the Austrian GP
The seven-time World Champion has been handed the first penalty of the Austrian Grand Prix.
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The Mercedes exceeded the pit-lane speed restriction 20 minutes into the Red Bull Ring’s lone practise session, during which Lewis Hamilton was fastest before the teams started their Qualifying simulations. Hamilton exceeded the speed limit by 0.2 km/h when driving in the pit lane, clocking 80.2 km/h. The weekend speed limit in Spielberg is 80 kph. In Formula 1, pitlane speeding happens rather frequently.
The seven-time World Champion has been issued the first penalty of the weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. Recently, the seven-time World Champion received an identical penalty in Monaco for going over the speed limit. With the drivers switching to soft tyres for the qualifying simulations, Hamilton led for the majority of free practice and finished fourth overall. Fernando Alonso was also ticketed for driving 0.9 km/h over the limit on Friday in Austria, costing Aston Martin €100.
After the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, speed limits in the pitlane were implemented. The limit is 80 km/h between the pit entry and exit lines. Each additional km/h beyond the limit will result in a fine of €100, with a maximum fine of €1000. Following Lewis Hamilton’s fine for speeding in the Formula 1 pit lane at the Austrian Grand Prix, Mercedes are €100 lighter. And paying the €100 fine shouldn’t be an issue given that the Mercedes F1 team is worth almost $2.7 billion!
Related: Who has the most Austrian GP wins?
Spielberg: The weekend of penalties?
With Friday’s practice session being the only opportunity for the drivers to get their eye in before qualifying later on Friday afternoon, it was discovered that all of the Mercedes and Aston Martin drivers were exceeding the 80 kph speed restriction at various points during the session.As they continue to get ready for qualifying, which will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, the Aston Martin duo spent the most of the practise running on medium tyres, with Stroll finishing sixth fastest and Fernando Alonso earning eighth.
The Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu was also fined for speeding four times, totaling €800 for his team. Logan Sargeant’s Williams team was also fined for breaking the speed limit twice, totaling €300. In order to ensure the safety of those who work there, the speed limit in the pit lane is strictly enforced in Formula 1. Team members frequently work on the cars in their pit boxes while other cars are in the fast lane.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)