Nicholas Latifi expressed frustration at the severity of the penalty he received for a grid infraction prior to Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
A mechanic from Latifi’s crew pushed his FW44 back slightly prior to the formation lap, but did so within the 15-second signal.
If such an offence occurs it is mandatory for the driver involved to start the race from the pit lane but Latifi lined up on the grid as normal.
Stewards issued a 10-second stop/go penalty, a sanction Latifi reckoned was overly harsh.
“It’s unfortunate that the penalty undid everything before it even started,” he said.
“I feel like there should be some leniency applied for what the infringement was as I was just pushed back, and nothing was changed to the car.
“It was tricky being so far off from the pack then the cycle of blue flags and getting caught by the leaders very early on. The race ended up being a very long and lonely one.”
Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson added that Williams will analyse its procedures to avoid a repeat.
“Nicholas had a tough day, with an immediate penalty for a minor breach of the regulations on the grid,” he said.
“The penalty is mandated by the regulations and we were at fault, albeit only momentarily so we need to review our process and ensure that it doesn’t happen in the future.
“From there, Nicholas was always going to have a tough race, but he successfully completed a one-stop race, which was not easy in the hot conditions.”
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