© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
During the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton went off the track, hit the barrier and then had trouble reversing back onto the track.
While he was struggling to get back onto the track following a mistake that sent him into the gravel, it seemed that Lewis Hamilton’s race would be over. However, ultimately he managed to get out of the gravel, got to the pits to replace his broken front wing, and then get back in the race after the race was restarted (it’s a different story 🙂 ).
After the race Hamilton explained why he had trouble reversing back onto the track.
“Yeah, it just wouldn’t go into reverse so I was holding the reverse button and it took forever to engage,” the Briton explained.
“I didn’t think it was going to work. I tried reversing and then tried to kind of do a burn out spin to get going again and I was back in the barrier so then it took a long time again to get back in reverse.
“And when I was reversing, I was like I’ve just got to keep going backwards and work my way out in reverse and if I hadn’t done that I would probably still have been there now so I’m grateful for it.”
Ultimately Hamilton managed to recover to P2. The whole experience taught him a valuable lesson.
“I think just really grateful for the lesson. I didn’t get away the best at the start, it was very tricky conditions at the start.
“But we’re only human, so just that bit of a mistake was one to learn from. I’m just grateful I could get going again and get back into the race.
“It’s not how you fall; it’s how you get up. Really awesome to get back to second. I had a good battle with Lando towards the end.
“I definitely didn’t know I would be here when I was facing that barrier,” concluded the seven-time champion.
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After the race many have voiced their opinion that Hamilton should have been penalized for reversing onto the track, but Race Director Michael Masi explains why that wasn’t the case.
“I think, looking at the incident at the time, reversing out of the gravel trap to the edge of the circuit, listening to Lewis’s radio between he and his team, they were absolutely advising him all the way through where that was,” the Italian explained.
“So, in that particular circumstance, same thing again, I wouldn’t consider reporting that to the stewards.”
Masi adds that such a maneuver could be penalized if it is done in an unsafe manner.
“It’s a case by case basis that you need to review the complete set of circumstances that sit around it,” the Race Director concludes.
