‘I didn’t see those boards and take responsibility’: Lewis Hamilton takes the blame for entering the pit lane when it was closed and sends classy message to Italian Grand Prix victory Pierre Gasly after frustrating day
- Lewis Hamilton said it ‘wasn’t his race’ following seventh placed finish in Italy GP
- The Brit was cruising to victory until he entered the pit lanes when closed
- Hamilton had to serve a penalty and came back out at the back of the Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton admitted it ‘wasn’t his race’ and took the blame for his pit-lane fiasco after he finished seventh at the Italian Grand Prix despite cruising to another comfortable victory in the first half of the race.
The Brit, who has dominated the Formula One season so far, entered the pit-lane whilst the FIA had declared the lane was closed following Kevin Magnussen retiring his car near the pit lane entry.
Unaware of the closure, Hamilton turned into the lanes for a stop, breaching the rules and had to serve a hefty penalty as a result after the session was red-flagged from Charles LeClerc’s crash in the Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton admitted it ‘wasn’t his race’ after he finished seventh at the Italian Grand Prix
The Brit served a hefty time penalty as he entered the pit lanes whilst they were closed
Despite proving his racing prowess as he battled from the back of the pack to finish inside the points, Mercedes had an afternoon to forget in Monza as Pierre Gasly in the AlphaTauri won his first ever Grand Prix, with Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll making up the other two podium places.
After the race, Hamilton reviewed the unfortunate incident that led to his routine victory being spoiled but remained positive from his late-race push.
‘My race wasn’t meant to be today but what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger,’ Hamilton said.
Hamilton found himself at the back of the pack but fought his way back into the points
‘It was a long pit stop but once I finally caught everybody I enjoyed that bit of a battle.
‘We didn’t do a great job with the pit stop. I didn’t see those boards and take responsibility for that and it’s something I’ll learn from.
‘To get seventh and still get the fastest lap is still some good points so I’ll definitely take it.’