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Hamilton holds himself responsible: 'I missed the signs”

Hamilton holds himself responsible: 'I missed the signs”

07-09-2020 17:27 Last update: 17:49
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GPblog.com

A decisive moment during the Italian Grand Prix; Lewis Hamilton drives into the pits for new tyres while the pit lane is closed. It cost him a stop-and-go penalty of 10 seconds and in the end the win. He held up his hands. 

The pit lane was closed because Magnussen's car was on the side just after the Parabolica curve and had to be pushed away. Hamilton then just drove into the corner and missed the signal that the pit lane was closed. "Nobody's happy. We all have to hold one another accountable. I definitely hold myself accountable for not seeing the signs. But it is part of a whole sequence of things that weren't perfect as a team", said Hamilton to the BBC.

The mistake gave the Mercedes driver a stop-and-go penalty, a penalty that he himself feels is too heavy. "Ultimately, a stop-and-go penalty would come if you've done something intentional or driving dramatically and you've put someone in danger maybe, but, having experienced it and it almost put you out of the race, it is not the greatest thing for racing”, he said. His team boss Toto Wolff adds: "It was a weird sequence of events that maybe we could have spotted earlier. The decisions taken were highly unusual but absolutely within the rules.”