29 October 2023 , 12:50
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Lewis Hamilton dodged a penalty for Sunday's Mexico Grand Prix having been cleared of failing to slow for yellow flags - although footage suggests he may have got off lightly.
The Mercedes driver will line up sixth on the grid as he eyes a first win in almost two years at a track where he has won previously. His task could've been harder had he copped a penalty following qualifying as the stewards investigated him.
Yellow flags came out after a spin for Fernando Alonso in the closing minutes down at Turn 3. Hamilton failed to slow but the stewards stated that there was no clear yellow light as the Brit approached Turn 1, although as he went through the first chicane it appeared as though lights were visible.
Despite that the verdict read: “The stewards heard from the driver of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton), team representative and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence.
"The onboard video clearly shows there is no light or flag displayed to Car 44 on the straight into Turn 1, then a green light shows as he enters Turn 2, which is followed by 2 pulses of a yellow light then moments later, the light panel is blank. The driver was slightly slower in the mini sector than on his previous push lap. Our determination is that there was no breach of the regulations.”
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Hamilton's team-mate George Russell and world champion Max Verstappen were also summoned to the steward's office but also escaped any punishment after it was alleged that they blocked the end of the pit lane.
Footage shows that the yellow lights flashed whilst Lewis Hamilton was on a flying lap (F1)Charles Leclerc took what was a surprise pole position given Ferrari's pace earlier in the session with team-mate Carlos Sainz lining up in second. Both men improved significantly in the final part of qualifying to lock out the front row as they eyed a second win of the season.
The Ferrari driver admitted: "I did not expect to be on pole today. We thought we were lacking quite a bit after FP3. But for some reason, once we put everything together it went well and on the new tyres we gained a lot."
Verstappen will line up in third at a track he's enjoyed notable success at in the past. Former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo produced a stunning lap to put himself fourth ahead of Sergio Perez, whose future at Red Bull is in doubt heading into next season.