Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton told why he’s ‘lucky’ with his Monza grid penalty by Martin Brundle

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Lewis Hamilton will qualify for his first Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver with one arm tied behind his back after he received a grid penalty for Monza at the Dutch GP.

The travelling circus of F1 has moved sharply from Zandvoort to Monza for the 76th running of the Italian GP. Yet the fallout from last weekend’s Dutch GP will continue to hang over the Scuderia garage, as Hamilton has a five-place grid penalty for an incident in the Netherlands.

Hamilton must serve a five-place grid penalty at the Italian GP after the FIA’s stewards at last weekend’s Dutch GP ruled that he did not slow for the double-waved yellow flags exiting the final corner on his reconnaissance lap. Drivers were warned before the race about the flags.

Despite the incident occurring 40 minutes before the Dutch GP started, the stewards did not share their verdict until four hours after the race finished. So, Hamilton received a five-place grid penalty for the Italian GP, which threatens to scupper his Monza debut as a Ferrari man.

Martin Brundle thinks Lewis Hamilton is ‘lucky’ with a five, rather than a 10-place Italian Grand Prix grid penalty

F1 and the FIA decided against allowing drivers to practice their pit entry during their laps to the grid due to the narrow working area for the personnel already on the grid. But Hamilton remained flat through the final turn, and he only lifted by 20kph (12.4mph) nearing the pits.

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Speaking on Thursday at Monza, Hamilton admitted that he was “very shocked” to receive a penalty that he also considers to be “hardcore”. But Martin Brundle has suggested Hamilton is actually “lucky” it is not a 10-place grid penalty, given the reason why he drew the verdict.

“It was a slam dunk penalty,” Brundle said on Sky Sports F1 (05/09, 12:19). “[He] broke two regulations, because also the entry speed into the pit lane itself. I do believe that [penalty] should have been applied in the race to give them a chance to cycle that penalty through.

“But two wrongs don’t make a right in that respect. I think the team have to take some responsibility.

“If you read the sporting regs, and the technical regs, and the international sporting code, and then the race director’s notes on any given weekend, as well, you can’t expect the drivers to absorb all of that. We struggle to absorb it.

“You just keep reading, reading [and] reading all of the stuff. But he should have been reminded by the team, if he wasn’t, not to charge through the final corner.

“But I don’t think they can complain about the penalty. In fact, I think they’re lucky it wasn’t a 10-place grid drop.”

Ferrari can only complain about the timing of Lewis Hamilton’s penalty at the Dutch GP

Like Brundle, Jolyon Palmer thinks Hamilton is “without a leg to stand on” regarding his grid penalty for the Italian GP, given the 40-year-old was mere metres away from people arriving on the Dutch GP grid last Sunday. But Ferrari will feel aggrieved by the time the FIA needed.

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It was clear from the first viewing that Hamilton did not lift sufficiently in the final corner at Zandvoort and through the double-waved yellow flag zone when he practised attacking the pit lane. So, the stewards could have dealt his penalty during, or even before, the Dutch GP.

What might have then been up for debate is whether or not the seven-time champion could have served his penalty at Zandvoort. Hamilton crashed out of the Dutch GP on Lap 23 of 72 after a downgraded upshift locked the Briton’s rear wheels and kicked out the rear of his car.

Now, his grid penalty could jeopardise the 40-year-old’s chances to score his first Grand Prix podium as a Ferrari driver at Monza in this Sunday’s Italian GP. Ferrari are confident about their chances at the Italian GP, as Monza’s surface should suit the SF-25’s ride height needs.