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Jolyon Palmer believes Franco Colapinto may have been aggressive in how he handled the oncoming Lewis Hamilton, but he did nothing wrong.
Hamilton and Colapinto came together briefly during the race, with the Argentine driver pushing the seven-time world champion off the track.
Later in the race, Hamilton responded to Colapinto with a crude gesture, although it appeared to have been in jest.
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Lewis Hamilton managed to earn a P6 finish thanks to Charles Leclerc being handed a 20-second penalty after the race, while Colapinto settled for P7.
But Jolyon Palmer broke down the incident while analysing the race, and believes Franco Colapinto did nothing wrong to merit a penalty.
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Jolyon Palmer believes Franco Colapinto was following ‘racing guidelines’ against Lewis Hamilton
Jolyon Palmer provided an analysis of the Miami Grand Prix recently, where he looked at the incident between Franco Colapinto and Lewis Hamilton.
He believes that while Colapinto may have been aggressive towards Hamilton, he did nothing wrong under the letter of the law. Furthermore, an experienced driver like Hamilton should have been more careful in how he handled the situation.
“Reasonable defensive shape from Franco, ushering Lewis to the outside line. Franco is in a decent position as well, managing to keep his car ahead at the time they get towards an apex.
“That really entitles him to the space according to the racing guidelines to force Lewis off the road on the exit, and that is exactly what happened. Lewis was just hopeful at this stage that he’s going to be left space because then he’ll have the inside for Turn 12 for the right-hander. But Franco ushers him wide…
“Just an opportunistic look here from Hamilton, who knows he wants to clear the Alpine because he wants to get racing with the other main contenders. Not the easiest weekend for Lewis, but at this point, he’s lost the corner in terms of the racing guidelines.
“Sometimes you can be given room. Sometimes it can work. But not with Franco on this day… You have to back off. You have to check up, and he keeps turning towards Franco. A little bit of the front floor edge is gone for Hamilton. A little bit of damage for Colapinto.
“Still managed to get some good points, but that damage meant he wasn’t a factor further ahead in the rest of the race… He’s really got himself to blame for that one. Colapinto was within his rights to drive as he did… That’s what Hamilton was hoping.
“In my racing ideal, I think drivers would be afforded room. I think Hamilton could have been there. I don’t like seeing people forced off the road, but that’s how the racing guidelines work, and that’s why Franco didn’t get a penalty.”
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Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto seemingly bury the hatchet after coming together
While Hamilton may have been frustrated in the moment with Colapinto, it appears that he took some time to bury the hatchet with the Alpine driver.
In a video that surfaced on social media, Hamilton and Colapinto were seen exiting the Hard Rock Stadium together, discussing the situation and seemingly making amends.
Hamilton also apologised to Ferrari for the incident, as it did damage to his front wing, creating a problem for the team in Miami and beyond.
Hopefully, this situation between Hamilton and Colapinto is now behind them, and the two drivers can focus on their season.
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