The FIA statement arrived during the Italian night, confirming that there will be no penalty for Lewis Hamilton in Canada. And Pierre Gasly had a role to play
No penalty for Lewis Hamilton in Montréal. During yesterday’s qualifying session, the English driver of the Prancing Horse was investigated by the race stewards for allegedly impeding Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, thereby risking a significant grid drop.
Lewis, who will start from fifth on the grid in tonight’s race (click here for the latest weather updates), immediately declared his “innocence” at the end of qualifying. He explained to the stewards that he had not realized Gasly was on a flying lap, rather than a simple out lap.
Gasly’s intervention saves Hamilton
Stepping up to testify in favor of Hamilton before the four stewards of the Canadian weekend was the Ferrari pit wall, fully convinced that the British driver was entirely blameless.
While the Scuderia considered it a ‘simple misunderstanding’, a harsh response from Alpine and Gasly himself was undoubtedly expected.
However, as reported by Roberto Chinchero, fortunately for Hamilton and Ferrari, the French driver explicitly corroborated the version put forward by Hamilton and the Maranello pit wall. He admitted that it was indeed just a simple misunderstanding, and not a deliberate or unnecessary impeding.
Thanks in part to this crucial testimony, Hamilton will maintain his fifth-place starting position on tonight’s grid, lining up behind the two McLarens and the two Mercedes, successfully warding off a potential (and perhaps decisive) penalty.
