Lewis Hamilton’s starting position on the front row of the Austrian Grand Prix might be under threat after he was summoned to the stewards for failing to slow for yellow flags in qualifying.
Hamilton settled for second position in qualifying, with Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas claiming the quickest time in qualifying despite spinning out on his final attempt. The incident prompted yellow flags to be waved in that part of the track.
Hamilton had been the next car on track behind Bottas when the native of Finland went off at Turn 4, but he said he was not sure whether Bottas had simply gone wide and kicked up some dust. Hamilton was 0.1s quicker on that lap, suggesting he did gain time despite the cautionary flag being waved.
When asked if he had seen yellow flags, Hamilton replied: « Not that I saw, no.
« I came round the corner, I got on the power and I thought that Valtteri perhaps had just gone wide and come back on the track further up the road. I was looking out for the gravel on the track and for a car on the track, but there was nothing there so I continued.
« Then I saw as I was going into, I think it was to Turn 6, that Valtteri was much further to the left. It happened pretty quick and pretty big puff dust. »
At last year’s Mexican Grand Prix Max Verstappen was given a three-place grid penalty for failing to flow for yellow flags, again prompted by a Bottas spin, in the final moments of qualifying. In that instance, the FIA said the yellow flags would have been clearly visible and that Verstappen should have seen them, despite Red Bull’s protests that the appropriate yellow light in his cockpit had not come on properly.
More to follow…
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/29409591/hamilton-summoned-stewards-failing-slow-yellow-flags-austrian-gp
