Lewis Hamilton has been handed a 5s penalty for leaving the track without a justifiable reason multiple times during today's Singapore Grand Prix.

The stewards heard from a Ferrari representative and the driver, as well as reviewing positioning/marshalling system data, video, team radio and in-car video evidence.

During the hearing, Hamilton confirmed that he left the track on four occasions at Turns 2, 5, 16 and 17 as he was trying to manage a brakes issue situation.

This being said, after further investigation, and in accordance with the list of exemptions foreseen in the Driving Standards Guidelines, the stewards considered that this was not a justifiable reason and applied the usual penalty for this type of infringement. This was not contested by the team representative nor Hamilton

The 5s penalty dropped him from 7th to 8th, thereby promoting Fernando Alonso to seventh.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 2 hours ago

"Sheer hypocrisy.. surely driving a car without functioning brakes is a danger to all! The FIA make such a hoo har about driver safety that failure to act would have been totally unacceptable. No one denies driver talent but what if a sudden red flag was thrown or double yellows? The GOAT should've shown more savvy rather than just drive on irrespective of his danger to other drivers....as for seven times WDC drivers giving us inspiration try that argument when you are next pulled up for dangerous driving on the way down to supermarket!"

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2. Posted by Tyrbiter, 10 hours ago

"It's racing, where you keep going until the car physically stops because something essential to motion has broken.
Brakes are not essential to motion."

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3. Posted by ffracer, 10 hours ago

"@Schroeder's cat: With all due respect, this is a dark day when a racing driver, fueled by passion and love for racing/his team/his fans is penalized for being a racing driver.

Drivers today are penalized for driving on the edge, with the ultimate scourge lately being track limits. It's almost like stewards are judging them like the technical portion of figure skating and not racing. When I think about all the moments in the history of my Formula One that made it great - the late, great Gilles Villeneuve in the famous duel with Rene Arnoux and Dijon '79, 11 seconds quicker than anyone else in Friday qualifying at Watkins Glen '79 in pouring rain/ monsoon conditions, driving to third place at Canada 81, in pouring conditions with a bent front wing blocking his vision for some of it before breaking off and continuing on, Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost, out of their cars and pushing their dead racecars over the finish line, Lewis Hamilton continuing on to Silverstone victory with a blown LF tire, showering sparks around half the final lap before clinching victory.... this penalty makes me sad. Lewis Hamilton was driving at his finest today trying to limp home and reward his devoted hard working team and fans with points and he is penalized for his extraordinary talent.

Racing drivers are supposed to inspire us to give 150 % to everything we do and with as much love. Makes me sick to my stomach. "

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4. Posted by Schrodinger's cat, 12 hours ago

"Had Hamilton's brake pads worn down to nothing? If so, Hamilton should have stopped. If he didn't have functionally brakes, he should have been disqualified, for driving an unsafe car!

Are we waiting for someone to die, before issues like this are taken seriously?"

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Hamilton penalised

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