An Untimely Joke Almost Saw Lewis Hamilton Banned From F1 Paddock

Fans know the current Lewis Hamilton for his calmness, be it racing on the track, or his actions off it. However, he was arguably more aggressive on the track during his days at McLaren and in the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix he lost his cool, which ultimately could have resulted in a ban.

He had a smooth start during the qualifying but was penalized during Q3. So, he started only 9th; and the race did not get any better as the stewards once again pulled him on two separate occasions. The Briton was certainly not happy with the decisions made by them. Furthermore, he also criticized the drivers.

The comments made by Lewis Hamilton about the stewards

Hamilton said, “It’s an absolute frickin’ joke. I’ve been to see the stewards five times out of six [grands prix] this season … Maybe it’s because I’m black. That’s what Ali G says. I don’t know.”

He, however, was let off the hook for his comments after he wrote a letter to FIA president Jean Todt. According to the Guardian, his letter was a heartfelt one, stating his dream to become a “great driver and a proud man.”

Moreover, he apologized to the stewards, and as a result, he did not receive any punishment. “I’ve just been to the stewards to make peace. It was a bit of a joke, which wasn’t funny at the time,” Lewis added.

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Meanwhile, Jean Todt had been calm about the situation because of Hamilton’s promptness. There was no suspension, just a polite but firm reminder and a warning to the McLaren man.

“Maybe it would have been a better decision to put him to the court. To ban him for six grands prix. But he wrote to me and I wrote to him and the thing is over,” Todt stated.

The incidents that led to Hamilton’s remarks

Hamilton had an eventful day on the streets of Monte Carlo. First, he was given a grid penalty, which meant that he started only P9. And during the race, he was involved in two incidents with Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado.

He collided when he tried to pass Massa on the inside. Following this, the stewards adjudged him a drive-through penalty. Maldonado was Hamilton’s next victim as he made contact with the Williams driver. As a result, he was awarded a 20-second penalty after the race, but it did not affect his P6 position.

Speaking on the incident with Massa, he conveyed, “Massa held me up in qualifying and I got the penalty. Then he turned into me [during the race] and I got the penalty. I was quite a lot quicker than Massa. These drivers are ridiculous. It’s stupid.”

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Massa, however, was having none of it and criticized Hamilton after the race. Although the 2008 world champion apologized for his actions, this could have got him banned from the F1 paddock. However, he has certainly learned from this incident and gained valuable experience.