Lewis Hamilton may face a Monaco GP grid penalty after unintentionally impeding Max Verstappen during Q1, despite strong Ferrari pace.
Hamilton qualified fourth for the Monaco Grand Prix, but his position is under threat.
He inadvertently impeded Max Verstappen in Q1 after being told by his team that the Red Bull driver was on a slow lap. However, he could face a grid penalty of one to three places as a result.
“It wasn’t the best day, but overall the weekend has gone well. It was incredible to be behind the wheel of a Ferrari on this circuit.”
“The car felt really good. That contact with the barrier today in FP3 didn’t help at all.”
“I had two cars in front of me, I lost rear downforce and lost the car. The team did an amazing job getting the car back in shape.”
Regarding the alleged blocking incident involving Verstappen in qualifying, he added: “Qualifying here is so much fun. It’s very difficult to stay out of everyone’s way.”
“I think I did a good job of staying clear, but the team told me Max was on a push lap, so I moved left, then they said, ‘No, he’s not on a push lap.’ And by then it was too late. I had just reapplied the power. I accelerated for 10 meters. I was off line but definitely in the way.”
Hamilton admits he’s unsure what tomorrow’s strategy will look like with the two mandatory pit stops.
“I really don’t know what the strategy will be. Last year was terrible because we had a red flag on the first lap, so it’s good to have two stops.”
“For some, the mediums suffered heavy graining. I went for two sets of hards, Charles chose two mediums.”
“I really hope that will make a difference, but we’ll have to wait and see what the stewards say, whether I get a penalty or not.”
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