Hamilton reiterates opinion on Vettel penalty

Lewis Hamilton has reiterated his opinion that Sebastian Vettel deserved the five-second penalty he received during the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, which ultimately cost the German the victory even though he crossed the finish line before anyone else, including the Mercedes man in second.

With Vettel in first and Hamilton in second in the final portion of the race, the former went wide at Turn 4 and scrambled to regain his line on the track, which put him directly into the path of the Brit, who was looking to take advantage of the mistake for an overtake.

It was innocuous, to say the least, but Vettel was subsequently given the penalty which would be added to his time at the conclusion of the race.

The incident has caused huge debate among F1 figures and fans alike, with some believing tight regulations are ruining the sport. However, within the letter of the law, the punishment appeared to fit the crime.

Hamilton, who previously expressed his regret at winning in such fashion, was sympathetic to Vettel’s complaints after the race, but still thinks the penalty was deserved.

"My opinion has not changed," Hamilton told Motorsport.

“With respect to the rules, if it had followed we would have crashed, one way or another, It was not going to end well, there was danger and if I had not stopped, we would have crashed, it blocked me, unfortunately it got off the track and that's how the rules are written.”

The added on seconds to Vettel’s time meant that Ferrari were denied their first win of the 2019 season, while Mercedes made it seven victories out of seven.

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