Martin Brundle and David Coulthard agree on Lewis Hamilton penalty at British Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton was hit with a five-second penalty in the early stages of the British Grand Prix for a race-start infringement.

Hamilton, who was lining up third, was penalised for a false start after detection systems showed that he moved before the signal.

It’s the second penalty the 41-year-old has received this year after a controversial five-second sanction for speeding in the Monaco Grand Prix pit lane.

David Coulthard plans to write to his ‘MP’ over Lewis Hamilton penalty

As F1TV pundit David Coulthard noted during the onboard replay, Hamilton didn’t leave his grid box before the lights went out. But clearly, he was still seen to have gained an advantage under the regulations.

“I’m going to start drafting a letter to my local MP,” Coulthard said. “I’m not sure if that is entirely fair.

“For me, a jump start is about proximity. You have a proximity sensor, so you’re not allowed to be rolling. But he wasn’t beyond his grid box.”

On Sky Sports F1, Martin Brundle agreed that the penalty was ‘brutal’, even if it was a black-and-white offence.

“He anticipated it but when the lights went out, he wasn’t moving,” said Brundle. “He dropped the clutch in anticipation and the car moved. That’s a brutal penalty because the car was not moving, but they are the rules.”

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He served the penalty on lap 24 when he made his pit stop, although he protested that his tyres still had life in them when he was called in.

It’s the first time Hamilton has received a penalty at his home race since 2021, when he infamously collided with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen on the opening lap.

Hamilton delivered a vintage Sprint pole on Friday afternoon before losing out on the victory to Kimi Antonelli.