Lewis Hamilton ensures he was within the rules by slowing down in Q2

Since the start of the season, the qualifying exercise has always proven to be a complicated stage for Lewis Hamilton. Accustomed to flying through Q1 and Q2 for several years, the Briton now finds himself barely making it to Q3. Baku is no exception to the rule. While in 11th position during the second part of qualifying, the seven-time world champion suddenly slowed down at turn 12 to wait for his teammate George Russell.

The objective of this maneuver was to allow Lewis Hamilton to benefit from the slipstream on the long straight of the Azeri route. But behind him, it was not a Mercedes but two McLaren who decided to stand behind him. “ I don't think I made a mistake, specifies the Briton. They had the possibility of overtaking me, they didn't do it. I was in my delta. If I had been outside my delta I would have understood, but that was not the case. »

This maneuver was not to the taste of the commissioners who decided to place the Briton under investigation. But Lewis Hamilton thinks he has nothing to reproach himself for and that he remains within the rules. “ We are among the slowest on the straight. So I needed an aspiration, recalls the Briton. The rule is that you must be in your delta time between the first and second row of the safety car. I was in my delta. I slowed down and moved out of line, completely out of line, to let the other cars pass. But they didn't want to overtake me. »

Maneuvers similar to that of Lewis Hamilton in Spain

It is not only in Baku that aspiration can be of great help. In Catalonia already some pilots had carried out the same maneuver as the Briton. “ In Barcelona, ​​there were cars that completely ignored the delta, and drove ridiculously slowly. I think one or two of them were penalized, like a reprimand,” explains Lewis Hamilton. 

« But going as slowly as they did, they were much, much, much slower. They gained at least five degrees of temperature in the tires. And that's why they were so fast. And I remember when they were going slow, I was going around them, so I didn't have any problems. But anyway, today I was not below my delta. I was off course. » Rest assured, Lewis Hamilton will start from 7th place on the starting grid at 13:00 p.m. since the stewards have decided not to follow up on the investigation.

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