P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton avoided a grip drop for a yellow flag breach in sprint qualifying in Brazil
Lewis Hamilton received a reprimand for not slowing down under double-waved yellow flags during the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint qualifying, caused by his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
Despite breaking the rules, Hamilton avoided a grid penalty and will start the sprint race from 11th place after being found to have failed to slow down appropriately under the yellow flags.
The stewards noted that Hamilton barely slowed down in reaction to Leclerc’s brief spin, and even went faster in that part of the track, but did not improve his lap time overall.
Hamilton mentioned not seeing the light panels on the left-hand side of the track due to focusing on the corner, and the stewards agreed the yellow signal should have prompted him to reduce speed.
The telemetry data showed Hamilton hesitated on the throttle but did not slow down as required, leading to the reprimand instead of a grid penalty for consistency reasons.
Despite the setback, Hamilton aims to have fun in the race and enjoy the experience despite the challenges he has faced throughout the year.
