Brazilian GP: Lewis Hamilton will start at the back of the grid for the sprint race, a fine for Max Verstappen – franceinfo

After several hours of procrastination, the FIA ​​(Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) stewards rendered their decision regarding the incidents that occurred after qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race on Friday.

Lewis Hamilton, whose opening of the DRS (the flap mounted on the rear spoiler which deploys to gain top speed) was found to be irregular, is disqualified and will start last for the sprint qualification, Saturday November 13 at 8:30 p.m., when he had dominated the qualifications. His competitor and world championship leader, Max Verstappen, who touched his car and that of the Briton under the parc fermé rules, escapes a sporting sanction but receives a fine of € 50,000. Following Hamilton’s downgrade, he will nevertheless start in the lead on Saturday.

BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton is disqualified from Friday’s qualifying session for a technical infringement related to the DRS system#BrazilGP # F1 pic.twitter.com/zjgQ4WlArN

– Formula 1 (@ F1) November 13, 2021

The two pilots and their team had been heard earlier in the day to explain. According to the regulations of the Formula 1 world championship, “any operation, verification, preparation or repair is prohibited” under the closed park regime. But Max Verstappen took advantage of the jurisprudence of other drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel, who had committed this fault before him without being sanctioned sportingly.

Lewis Hamilton, whose DRS opening was not in the rules, set at a maximum of 85 mm, will start from the back of the grid during the sprint race, whose order of arrival will determine the order on the starting grid of the Grand Prix, Sunday. In addition to this sanction, the Briton will receive a penalty of five places on his result of the sprint race, and therefore on the grid of the Grand Prix, for having changed his thermal engine.