Lewis Hamilton slapped with race PENALTY after dramatic contact in Belgian GP sprint

Lewis Hamilton

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Hamilton slapped with race PENALTY after dramatic contact in Belgian GP sprint

The Brit made minimal contact with one of his main rivals and the FIA decided it was his fault

Joe Ellis

Saturday 29 July 2023 18:17 Updated: 18:23

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Lewis Hamilton was penalised for contact with Sergio Perez during the Belgian GP sprint.

The Mercedes and Red Bull duo went side by side through Stavelot and there was light contact between the two.

Perez soon slipped down to the back and retired while Hamilton had five seconds added to his race time, meaning he went from fourth down to seventh.

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In the end, Hamilton only just stayed ahead of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who completed the points by passing Daniel Ricciardo.

Harsh

In such treacherous conditions, it was surprising to see race control deem what was very minimal contact worthy of a penalty to either driver.

It didn't damage either car and Perez had issues of his own that led to his downfall, even sliding into the gravel at the same corner one lap later.

As it was a sprint race, Hamilton only lost three points whereas he would've lost six in a grand prix.

Mercedes still pulled away from Aston Martin in the constructors' standings as Aston Martin scored zero points and Fernando Alonso crashed at Pouhon.

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