Lewis Hamilton has escaped punishment for an unsafe release during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, but Mercedes has been handed a fine for the incident.
Lewis Hamilton has escaped punishment for an unsafe release during the final part of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, however, Mercedes has been handed a €5,000 fine for the incident.
The decision was reached following an investigation by the stewards at the Red Bull Ring, with the team found to have breached article 34.14a of the FIA sporting regulations.
The associated clause states that “cars must not be released from a garage or pit stop position in a way that could endanger pit lane personnel or another”.
Hamilton qualified fifth in the Styrian hills, six-tenths adrift of pole-sitter Max Verstappen in his Red Bull, and just 0.063s behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who now leads their head-to-head 9-2 this season.
Heading out for his first run in Q3, Hamilton dragged out with him a hose that connects to the back of the exhaust to release gases out of the garage, and its associated trolley.
A stewards’ statement read: “The Stewards heard from the team representative and reviewed video evidence.
“Car 44 was released from the garage in an unsafe manner dragging a jack and an exhaust extractor behind it. The Stewards acknowledge that the team immediately informed the driver to stop to prevent any further damage and/or dangerous situation
