FIA reaches verdict on Hamilton following Bortoleto impeding incident in FP2

The incident occurred during the latter stages of FP2, when Hamilton found himself in Bortoleto’s path as the Audi driver approached at considerable speed. With the Ferrari travelling slowly ahead, Bortoleto had little choice but to take evasive action and move towards the left-hand side of the circuit to prevent a collision.

The situation immediately prompted an angry response from the Brazilian over the team radio. Bortoleto was particularly frustrated by the fact that Hamilton appeared to have seen him coming but did not clear the racing line in time.

However, after reviewing the incident and taking into account that it took place during a practice session, the FIA opted against handing the Ferrari driver a severe penalty. Hamilton escaped with a warning, meaning no further sporting punishment was imposed on the seven-time world champion. Ferrari were not entirely spared, however, with the team receiving a €10,000 fine in connection with the incident.

In their explanation, the stewards stated that Hamilton was responsible for the incident, having moved onto the racing line at low speed and unnecessarily impeded Bortoleto as the Audi driver approached at a significantly higher speed. They also took into account several mitigating circumstances, including the damage to Hamilton’s right-hand mirror, the absence of a warning from Ferrari over the radio and the fact that Bortoleto was not completing a push lap.

The stewards also examined the possibility of treating the incident as dangerous impeding due to the large speed difference, but Bortoleto was able to react in time and avoid contact. With those circumstances taken into account, Hamilton was handed a warning, in line with the usual penalty for an impeding offence during practice.

Ferrari, meanwhile, was found to have a separate responsibility for what happened. The stewards noted that the team knew about the damage to Hamilton’s right-hand mirror and therefore should have warned him about faster cars approaching from behind.

That obligation applied regardless of whether the approaching driver was completing a push lap, particularly because Hamilton’s visibility of the traffic behind him had been compromised.