Lewis Hamilton believes the FIA should be red-flagging late-race incidents moving forward after ‘disappointing’ end to the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.
Hamilton bagged his fifth podium of the season, at Silverstone, two weeks ago.
That said, the Ferrari driver was left forlorn with the circumstances that led to his eventual third-placed finish.
Recovering from a false-start penalty, Hamilton had gotten himself back into podium contention by the time the 52-lap race inched towards a conclusion.
Running in second place, behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, however, Max Verstappen’s incident at Stowe called Bernd Maylander into action on Lap 48.
With the iconic Italian marque, including the fans, expecting at least a single lap of racing, it pitted the duo of Leclerc and Hamilton for a set of Soft tyres.
Leclerc exited the pits with his lead intact, but Hamilton lost out on P2 to George Russell who had opted to stay out.
A “software error” for Race Control on Lap 51, erroneously signalling the ‘Safety Car in this lap’ message augmented the chaos but with the Safety Car staying out meant the race finished behind Maylander.
Hamilton was locked into P3, and by his own admission “disappointed” with the anticlimactic end to his home race.
“Definitely finishing under the safety car is, I would be disappointed,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I am disappointed being in the car, and as an athlete, so I can only imagine how the fans are feeling.”
Lewis Hamilton urges red-flag approach after F1 British GP confusion
Hamilton wasn’t the only one who felt that he and the fans were let down by how the afternoon’s action concluded at Silverstone.
Former Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer revealed that he had spoken to the FIA Race Director Rui Marques suggesting a more proactive approach towards red-flagging late-race incidents.
Hamilton cited how in the past this has proved to be the best decision for the fans and the racing spectacle overall.
He relied on the 2023 Australian GP to bang his point home. A late-race red-flag at the Albert Park Circuit had resulted in a two-lap showdown, which itself was red-flagged after a chaotic opening lap.
When asked if the FIA should consider using the red-flag more liberally, he said, “Yeah, definitely.”
“It happened in Australia, and it was like one of the best races,” Hamilton added.
“Ideally, when you are in the lead, it would not be a great thing, but it would really give the fans the maximum experience. So they’ve done it before.”
Heading into the Belgian GP weekend, FIA might have the perfect opportunity to respond with the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit boasting a 50% probability of enduring a Safety Car-worthy incident.
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