Harpreet Seehra
Elite
Lewis Hamilton has again fallen foul of the stewards to quickly sour his Indian Grand Prix experience.
Hamilton has been penalised with a drop of three grid positions for Sunday's inaugural race at the Buddh International Circuit, along with Sauber's Sergio Perez.
Both drivers have been hit hard after ignoring double waved yellow flags at the end of Friday's opening practice session whilst Pastor Maldonado's Williams was being recovered following a spin.
Marshals were in close proximity to the track at the time Hamilton and Perez flashed past en route to setting their fastest laps.
Hamilton ultimately ended up with the quickest time of one minute 26.836secs, beating double world champion Sebastian Vettel's lap by more than half a second.
However, the 26-year-old McLaren driver will be far from impressed after receiving what is his sixth penalty of a troubled season.
In particular, it would appear to be a case of Hamilton again not using his head and thinking straight despite the obviousness of the situation.
The stewards, that for this weekend include Johnny Herbert, have had no choice but to act, especially in light of two recent motor sport fatalities.
The deaths of Dan Wheldon in an IndyCar event in Las Vegas and Marco Simoncelli in MotoGP in the last two weeks have been uppermost in the drivers' minds this weekend.
The stewards have undoubtedly taken into account the safety of the marshals was compromised when Hamilton and Perez ignored the double yellows, which is a stark warning to drivers to slow down.
Hamilton was most likely to again challenge Vettel for pole, after claiming his first for 27 races in Korea less than two weeks ago. Now the way is clear for the German to push for the record.
Vettel currently has 12 to his name in 2011, two behind the mark set by Nigel Mansell in 1992, while Red Bull need just one more to set a new record of 16 for a team in a single season.
Hamilton's incident-filled season
Lewis Hamilton has again found himself penalised by the stewards today to add to the torment of his troubled season.
It has been a highly-charged campaign for Hamilton, who has now incurred six penalties overall.
Here, Press Association Sport looks back on the pitfalls of the 26-year-old's year so far.
April 10, Malaysian Grand Prix: Fernando Alonso runs into the back of Hamilton as he makes a hash of an overtaking manoeuvre. Further salt is rubbed into Hamilton's wounds as he is hit with a retrospective drive-through penalty for making more than one change of direction to defend a position. The 20 additional seconds drop him from seventh to eighth.
May 29, Monaco Grand Prix: Hamilton is given two drive-through penalties relating to separate incidents with Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado in his Williams, the second served retrospectively, but in this instance his finishing position of sixth is unaltered. Hamilton later describes his latest visit to see the stewards as "an absolute frickin' joke", and jokingly suggests that "maybe it's because I'm black" he is being picked on. He later apologises to the stewards for the remark and also via letter to FIA president Jean Todt.
June 12, Canadian Grand Prix: In wet conditions and following an initial safety car period, Hamilton collides with Mark Webber, so sending the Australian into a spin, an incident into which the stewards launch an investigation. Three laps later Hamilton commits the cardinal sin of motor-racing by crashing into team-mate Jenson Button, then hitting a wall and retiring.
July 31, Hungarian Grand Prix: Leading the race on lap 47, the changeable conditions force Hamilton into a spin, only to straighten his car into oncoming traffic, almost colliding with Force India's Paul di Resta. He receives another drive-through penalty, and eventually finishes the race fourth. Hamilton later apologises to Di Resta.
August 27, Belgian Grand Prix qualifying: Hamilton is involved in another incident with Maldonado, initially banging wheels with the Venezuelan as they emerge out of the Bus Stop chicane, completing a flying lap just in time to make it into the top 10. As retaliation, Maldonado cuts across Hamilton as they head up towards Eau Rouge, ripping the right-front endplate off Hamilton's front wing. Hamilton is reprimanded, while Maldonado is given a five-place grid penalty.
August 28, Belgian Grand Prix: Hamilton heads into Les Combes at the end of the Kemmel straight and takes the line of Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi who is on his outside to his left. The front-right tyre of Kobayashi's car hits the rear-left of Hamilton's McLaren, sending him crashing heavily into a barrier and into retirement. After reviewing the incident, Hamilton later issues an apology on Twitter, claiming the accident was "100%" his fault.
September 25, Singapore Grand Prix: After a minor brush with Massa in qualifying the Brazilian claims Hamilton "didn't use his mind again". Remarkably, the duo collide again on lap 12 in the race, with Hamilton losing the front left of his front wing as he runs into the right-rear of the Ferrari causing a puncture. Unsurprisingly he receives another drive-through penalty, his fifth of the year.
October 28, Indian Grand Prix: Hamilton is hit with a three-place grid drop after ignoring double waved yellow flags - that implore a driver to slow down - at the end of the first practice session at the Buddh International Circuit. The flags came at a time when marshals were working close to the track in recovering Maldonado's Williams following a spin.
Hamilton has been penalised with a drop of three grid positions for Sunday's inaugural race at the Buddh International Circuit, along with Sauber's Sergio Perez.
Both drivers have been hit hard after ignoring double waved yellow flags at the end of Friday's opening practice session whilst Pastor Maldonado's Williams was being recovered following a spin.
Marshals were in close proximity to the track at the time Hamilton and Perez flashed past en route to setting their fastest laps.
Hamilton ultimately ended up with the quickest time of one minute 26.836secs, beating double world champion Sebastian Vettel's lap by more than half a second.
However, the 26-year-old McLaren driver will be far from impressed after receiving what is his sixth penalty of a troubled season.
In particular, it would appear to be a case of Hamilton again not using his head and thinking straight despite the obviousness of the situation.
The stewards, that for this weekend include Johnny Herbert, have had no choice but to act, especially in light of two recent motor sport fatalities.
The deaths of Dan Wheldon in an IndyCar event in Las Vegas and Marco Simoncelli in MotoGP in the last two weeks have been uppermost in the drivers' minds this weekend.
The stewards have undoubtedly taken into account the safety of the marshals was compromised when Hamilton and Perez ignored the double yellows, which is a stark warning to drivers to slow down.
Hamilton was most likely to again challenge Vettel for pole, after claiming his first for 27 races in Korea less than two weeks ago. Now the way is clear for the German to push for the record.
Vettel currently has 12 to his name in 2011, two behind the mark set by Nigel Mansell in 1992, while Red Bull need just one more to set a new record of 16 for a team in a single season.
Hamilton's incident-filled season
Lewis Hamilton has again found himself penalised by the stewards today to add to the torment of his troubled season.
It has been a highly-charged campaign for Hamilton, who has now incurred six penalties overall.
Here, Press Association Sport looks back on the pitfalls of the 26-year-old's year so far.
April 10, Malaysian Grand Prix: Fernando Alonso runs into the back of Hamilton as he makes a hash of an overtaking manoeuvre. Further salt is rubbed into Hamilton's wounds as he is hit with a retrospective drive-through penalty for making more than one change of direction to defend a position. The 20 additional seconds drop him from seventh to eighth.
May 29, Monaco Grand Prix: Hamilton is given two drive-through penalties relating to separate incidents with Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado in his Williams, the second served retrospectively, but in this instance his finishing position of sixth is unaltered. Hamilton later describes his latest visit to see the stewards as "an absolute frickin' joke", and jokingly suggests that "maybe it's because I'm black" he is being picked on. He later apologises to the stewards for the remark and also via letter to FIA president Jean Todt.
June 12, Canadian Grand Prix: In wet conditions and following an initial safety car period, Hamilton collides with Mark Webber, so sending the Australian into a spin, an incident into which the stewards launch an investigation. Three laps later Hamilton commits the cardinal sin of motor-racing by crashing into team-mate Jenson Button, then hitting a wall and retiring.
July 31, Hungarian Grand Prix: Leading the race on lap 47, the changeable conditions force Hamilton into a spin, only to straighten his car into oncoming traffic, almost colliding with Force India's Paul di Resta. He receives another drive-through penalty, and eventually finishes the race fourth. Hamilton later apologises to Di Resta.
August 27, Belgian Grand Prix qualifying: Hamilton is involved in another incident with Maldonado, initially banging wheels with the Venezuelan as they emerge out of the Bus Stop chicane, completing a flying lap just in time to make it into the top 10. As retaliation, Maldonado cuts across Hamilton as they head up towards Eau Rouge, ripping the right-front endplate off Hamilton's front wing. Hamilton is reprimanded, while Maldonado is given a five-place grid penalty.
August 28, Belgian Grand Prix: Hamilton heads into Les Combes at the end of the Kemmel straight and takes the line of Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi who is on his outside to his left. The front-right tyre of Kobayashi's car hits the rear-left of Hamilton's McLaren, sending him crashing heavily into a barrier and into retirement. After reviewing the incident, Hamilton later issues an apology on Twitter, claiming the accident was "100%" his fault.
September 25, Singapore Grand Prix: After a minor brush with Massa in qualifying the Brazilian claims Hamilton "didn't use his mind again". Remarkably, the duo collide again on lap 12 in the race, with Hamilton losing the front left of his front wing as he runs into the right-rear of the Ferrari causing a puncture. Unsurprisingly he receives another drive-through penalty, his fifth of the year.
October 28, Indian Grand Prix: Hamilton is hit with a three-place grid drop after ignoring double waved yellow flags - that implore a driver to slow down - at the end of the first practice session at the Buddh International Circuit. The flags came at a time when marshals were working close to the track in recovering Maldonado's Williams following a spin.
