Ferrari 'paying the price' for Lewis Hamilton mistake claims Vasseur

Ferrari F1 team principal Fred Vasseur spoke out on Lewis Hamilton’s 10-second time penalty at the Mexican Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion was on track for his first podium with Ferrari in Mexico City, but a battle with Max Verstappen thwarted his chances of such an accolade.

As the champions battled wheel-to-wheel, Hamilton locked up and went off the track at Turn 4, which the stewards deemed as ‘leaving the track and gaining an lasting advantage’.

Hamilton was then slammed with a 10-second time penalty, which once served during his pit stop, saw him tumble down the order and the Brit could only recover to eighth.

The champion has since hit out at the penalty, with the likes of Verstappen also cutting corners during the race, and Hamilton slammed the ‘double standard’ of the decision.

Was the Hamilton penalty fair?

Despite Hamilton’s protestations, both of Verstappen’s incidents where he left the track at Turn 1 and Turn 3 did not warrant a penalty, having given third place back to Hamilton on the opening lap.

Speaking after the Mexican GP, Ferrari boss Vasseur lamented the severe nature of Hamilton’s 10-second time penalty and claimed the team paid the price as a result.

"We're paying a bit of a price for Lewis's penalty because I think he was comfortable in third place at that point, and he's losing a lot of points," he said to Canal+.

“10 seconds is tough. You could say he didn't take the small strip of tarmac all the way, but he also lost the car. 10 seconds is still very tough.”

Whether Vasseur believes 10-seconds was too tough is inconsequential, with the FIA’s penalty guidelines clearly stating that such an offence warrants the penalty, unless there are mitigating circumstances in which case a five-second time penalty is given.

Regardless of Hamilton’s penalty, the four points from eighth and Charles Leclerc’s second place finish rocketed Ferrari back to second in the constructors’, although only a point guards them from the threat of Mercedes in third.

READ MORE: FIA complete investigation as Aston Martin found in breach of rules

Related