Ferrari confirms Lewis Hamilton findings after ‘harsh’ FIA punishment

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said it was a “bit harsh” for Lewis Hamilton to receive a five-second time penalty for a false start at the British Grand Prix.

And he says the team’s sensors did not detect any movement on the grid despite video footage suggesting otherwise.

Fred Vasseur responds to Lewis Hamilton British GP penalty

The stewards determined that Hamilton moved on the third of five red lights and subsequently handed out the time penalty.

Hamilton made an excellent start but any progress threatened to be quickly undone with news of an investigation into the Ferrari driver for an alleged false start.

The stewards eventually handed out a five-second penalty, explaining that his wheels had moved before the lights went out.

The verdict read: “The Stewards determined that after the third red light was illuminated, and before the start signal was given, Car 44 moved.

“This was clearly visible on the on-board footage by reference to the yellow Pirelli lettering on the tyre, which rotated upwards and forwards before the lights were extinguished.

“The fact that the movement was limited does not negate the infringement. Any such movement in that interval constitutes a false start / moving before the start signal.”

As such, Hamilton breached Article B5.11.1 of the regulations but Vasseur suggested it was “harsh” when the sensors did not register any movement.

He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “From the sensors we don’t see the car moving on the grid but it’s true that on the video you see the sticker on the tyres moving a little bit. It’s not me judging if it’s a false start or not.

“I think it’s a bit harsh when the sensors are not moving.”

Vasseur was asked if the false start was part of too many “mistakes” from Hamilton but the Ferrari team principal rejected the idea.

“Mistakes? You are a bit harsh,” he said. “The car is moving on the grid for 2mm, it’s a possibility but it’s a bit harsh to say it’s a mistake.”

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Later in the race, Hamilton dropped from P2 to P3 after Ferrari called him in for a pit stop, a decision he would have disagreed with had he had all the facts, but the result in Silverstone is still a sign of an improved and more confident driver.

On that mental change, Vasseur described it as “small stone after small stone” and a concept that applies to the whole team.

“I think it’s coming from both sides,” Vasseur said. “That we know Lewis more, he knows more the team.

“That we work on the car from the beginning, because he was there when we started the project a long year ago.

“Small stone after small stone, it’s not that there is a game changer, it’s not a one single stone, it’s much more aligned today.”

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