F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Hamilton reprimanded for Mazepin incident - Mercedes fined

Lewis Hamilton has received a reprimand from the FIA for impeding Haas driver Nikita Mazepin in FP3 while a €25,000 fine has been levied upon the Mercedes team.

Hamilton was running at a slow pace in Saturday's practice session and was nearly collected by the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly at one point.

But moments later, Mazepin barreled down on the seven-time world champion just as he exited a blind corner and was forced to take evasive action to avoid the Mercedes driver.

"The Race Director reported to the Stewards that the double yellow flag warning on the FIA Marshalling System was activated at Light Panel Number 6 accidentally, for less than 1 second," stated the stewards ruling.

"As the on-board video of Car 44 (to be released by the Commercial Rights Holder following this Decision) clearly shows, there was no yellow flag displayed, no yellow lights were displayed to that driver and the yellow warning light was not visible on the driver’s steering wheel.

"Unlike other incidents this year, there was no yellow flag or yellow light displayed to the driver (the driver already being well into the marshalling sector when the system was briefly activated) hence no breach of the regulations has occurred."

The stewards' ruling - which is Hamilton's second reprimand of the season - and the massive €25,000 fine clearly places most of the responsibility of the incident on the Mercedes pitwall that failed to timely warn Hamilton that Mazepin was fast approaching, a shortfall expressed by the Briton himself in the heat of the moment.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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