Following Lewis Hamilton’s Shocking Penalty, Ex-Ferrari Boss Disciplines FIA With a Racing Lesson

If 11 racing laps around Spa during the Saturday Sprint were any indication of what’s to come on Sunday, the Formula 1 community is in for a treat. But while some drivers would want to relive the Sprint action on Sunday, a few would like to forget it happened altogether. And Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez would top that list. After their coming together while fighting for P4 on Lap 6 around Turns 14 and 15, Perez was forced to retire three laps later, and Hamilton was awarded a five-second penalty for it, which most people believed was a racing incident. And if you think Perez got the short straw in the deal, Peter Windsor would beg to differ.

Windsor, a former Ferrari General Manager, has had his fair share of run-ins with the FIA and its decisions to hand out penalties. While a lot of them are justified according to him, the one given to Hamilton—which demoted him from P4 to P7 after the race—was “over the top.” And he made it a point to give the FIA a racing lesson on wet-weather racing while explaining his case.

In a YouTube live stream after the Sprint, he explained how Lewis’ W14 on the inside snapped left and made contact with Checo’s RB19, causing him to retire because of damage—which, as per Windsor, was a racing incident. But when he talked about Hamilton’s penalty, he said, “I just think they’re racing drivers, and it’s wet, and we know they’re going to be sliding around. We know there are going to be things like that. I’m not saying this because I’m pro-Lewis or anti-Sergio.”

Read More: “Absolute Nonsense”: Infuriated by Lewis Hamilton’s Shameful Penalty, Fans Issue Stern Demand to Toto Wolff & Co.

He continued, “I just think it’s over the top in a sport which is about people making moves and, if it’s wet, they’re going to be moving around. So a five-second penalty; I can’t imagine how annoyed Lewis is. He really would be very annoyed, I would imagine, after that race.”

And to add to Lewis’ annoyance, Perez’s teammate took a dig at him after the race.

Max Verstappen asserted his dominance over Lewis Hamilton

Following a heavy passing shower before the Sprint, the race was set to have a rolling start behind the Safety Car, with every driver on Wet tires. But by the start of the race, the conditions were dry enough for Intermediate tires. But instead of pitting for them behind the SC at the start, Max Verstappen continued on the Wets for the first lap while Hamilton pitted, choosing that strategy to gain places by undercutting drivers. While he was able to make up places, he did it unconventionally.

After Verstappen pitted in the second lap, he came out in second behind Oscar Piastri. But given his car’s superiority, it didn’t take him any time to retake the lead. And after the race, when Christian Horner said, “The strategy was definitely the safer one,” Max replied, “Yeah, I think we did the right thing. The other one was too risky.”

And just to take a dig at Hamilton and the other drivers who opted for the other strategy, he added, “It also makes it a bit more fun to pass on track!”

Watch This Story: Lewis Hamilton dismisses beef with Max Verstappen

Do you think Lewis Hamilton’s five-second penalty was justified?