Lewis Hamilton questions FIA steward ‘secrecy’ after recent penalty

Lewis Hamilton believes “transparency and accountability” is lacking from decisions made by the FIA stewards on race weekends, after his penalty in Mexico City last time out.

Hamilton was awarded a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at Turn 4 at the last round, but there was post-race debate among the paddock over the drivers who did not serve penalties for cutting off the first chicane in the opening laps.

Lewis Hamilton: FIA stewards ‘ultimately steer careers, can decide results of championships’

Hamilton was the only driver to be handed a time penalty for that infringement in Mexico, with others cutting the first corner complex and going unpunished.

While there has tended to be more leeway given to drivers taking to escape roads or cutting corners on the opening lap, so long as they give places back, the Ferrari driver was the only one to be handed a penalty, after his trip to the grass at the second chicane.

Given the role the stewards can play not just in the outcome of races, but championships – as Hamilton alluded to – he believes the “secrecy” with which decisions are made is part of a wider problem within Formula 1, which will need addressing for the future.

“Not particularly,” Hamilton replied in Brazil when asked if he had received any explanation from the FIA as to why decisions were made as they were in Mexico City.

“There isn’t any clarity, and I think that’s probably a part of the bigger issue – transparency and accountability. And also, kind of the secrecy that the decisions are made in the background.

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“I think it’s something that definitely needs to be tackled, but that’s probably something that needs to be done in the background, I would imagine.

“I don’t know if they’re aware of the weight that their decisions [hold]. You know, they ultimately steer careers, can decide results of championships, as you’ve seen in the past. So some work needs to be done now, I’m sure.”

In the here and now, however, Hamilton returns to Interlagos in search of his first Ferrari podium in Grand Prix conditions, and has spoken positively about the team’s recent prospects.

The Scuderia is looking for its first win of the season overall, and though it will be Hamilton’s first race in Brazil with Ferrari, he will be looking to extract as much as possible from it this weekend.

“I think we’ve definitely made a lot of progress over the last couple of months and the last race, obviously, Charles got a great result,” he said.

“I think that’s going to vary from race to race, depending on the track that we’re at. It’s my first time driving a Ferrari here, so their car looked pretty good here last year. I don’t know what it’s going to feel like here, but I’m definitely hoping.

“Obviously, they’ve resurfaced part of the track as well. So it’s pretty new, the circuit, so I’m hoping that we can run the car as close to the limit as possible and get a good result.

“Hopefully, with the nice Brazil weather interchanging, maybe we can have a good weekend.”

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