Hamilton Given Five-place Grid Drop For Italian Gp

Lewis Hamilton has been handed a five-place grid punishment for Ferrari's location title successful Italy adjacent weekend, aft failing to slow nether double yellowish flags earlier nan commencement of nan Dutch Grand Prix.

It capped a miserable play wide for nan Italian team, who watched some Hamilton and Charles Leclerc crash retired of nan race successful abstracted incidents.

Hamilton did not travel nan title directors' pre-race instructions fixed to each drivers, asking them to trim their velocity sufficiently astatine nan pit introduction to guarantee nan information of group connected nan grid and successful nan pit lane.

The punishment would usually person been a 10-place grid drop, but nan stewards acknowledged Hamilton did effort to slow down and brake earlier.

It intends nan Briton will commencement nary higher than sixth astatine his maiden title astatine Monza arsenic a Ferrari driver.

Following Ferrari’s difficult clip successful Zandvoort, squad main Fred Vasseur said they person to "stay calm" for nan remainder of nan season.

Both Hamilton and Leclerc came distant from information 14 pinch zero points, and while nan Scuderia are still 2nd successful nan constructors' championship, Mercedes successful 3rd person narrowed nan spread to conscionable 12 points acknowledgment to George Russell’s fourth-placed finish.

Hamilton was first to discontinue from nan race, crashing into nan wall from seventh position pursuing a infinitesimal of oversteer astatine Turn Three erstwhile ray rainfall was falling connected nan track. He told BBC Radio 5 Live he was "not really sure" what happened but "I couldn't retrieve it".

Meanwhile, Leclerc was nan guiltless statement arsenic nan Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli made a move connected nan other broadside of nan aforesaid area and took nan Monegasque out.

Leclerc, who was near stranded connected a elevation until nan title had finished, said nan Italian rookie did apologise for his mistake, but he told Sky Sports: "It ruined my race, it is simply a shame but it is nan measurement it is."

Seven-time world champion Hamilton has recovered his maiden play pinch Ferrari a frustrating experience. His sprint triumph from rod position successful China has been nan only awesome precocious constituent since his blockbuster move from rivals Mercedes.

Before nan summertime break, he qualified and vanished 12th astatine nan Hungarian Grand Prix, calling himself "useless" aft failing to make Q3. In Belgium nan title before, he was a daze elimination successful nan first portion of qualifying, conceding nan consequence was "incredible painful".

Before nan grid punishment for Monza was issued, Vasseur said Hamilton’s latest setback successful nan Netherlands had not knocked nan 40-year-old's assurance successful nan car, aliases himself.

"Overall, nan guidance from Lewis was good; it was a bully betterment aft 2 reliable races earlier nan break. But for sure, this was not what we expected," Vasseur said of nan double retirement.

“This has been a batch much affirmative than nan past 4 aliases 5 races. It was overmuch amended than what he did successful nan past title successful Budapest. I could spot nan assurance was backmost and it was bully mentation [for Monza].”

Hamilton, who is sixth successful nan drivers’ championship, echoed Vasseur’s appraisal that location are bully aspects of nan play nan squad tin build on.

"It was a spot twitchy, nan car, but I deliberation we made existent advancement and my gait was looking beautiful decent," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Despite a bruising time each round, Vasseur said nan temper was not sombre. "We tin return a batch of positives from nan weekend," he said.

Leclerc won nan Italian Grand Prix past year, finishing up of nan McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, and is hopeful of different bully consequence adjacent weekend.

"I'm looking guardant to [Monza]," he said.

"It will beryllium a very engaged week but location will beryllium a batch of affirmative energy. There is ever a batch of support, truthful I'm looking guardant to that.

"I deliberation pinch this way [Zandvoort], it has everything that our car hates, but I deliberation Monza will beryllium much positive; whether it's a way wherever we tin target a podium, nan McLarens are going to beryllium unthinkable there, but ne'er opportunity never."