Hamilton cleared over impeding Verstappen in practice, Colapinto gets formal warning

The Japanese Grand Prix stewards gave Franco Colapinto a formal warning for impeding Max Verstappen during practice but cleared Lewis Hamilton of a similar infringement.

Verstappen complained the Ferrari driver held him up on the approach to the high-speed 130R left-hander in first practice and the Alpine driver did the same in the second session.

The stewards issued different verdicts after noting Alpine had warned Colapinto about Verstappen’s approach but Ferrari had not done the same. They also said Verstappen’s representative told them he did not consider Hamilton’s driving dangerous.

“The driver of car 44 (Lewis Hamilton), who had been given no warning from the team of the approach of car three (Max Verstappen), was travelling in the middle of the track between turn 14 and turn 15,” the stewards noted. “As car three closed on car 44, car 44 made an initial movement suggesting a move to the left, but ultimately remained to the right-hand side of the track. Car three approached with a significant speed differential but was able to pass car 44 without being required to brake, lift, or deviate from its intended racing line.

“In this case, the stewards are satisfied that, although car three was momentarily influenced by the positioning of car 44, it was not forced to take evasive action. The stewards also took into account that, through his team representative, the driver of car three said that the situation was not considered dangerous from his perspective.

“Consistent with the position taken with respect to incidents of this type in free practice sessions where an alleged impeding is not considered dangerous or potentially so, the stewards determined to take no further action.”

However in Colapinto’s case the stewards noted he should have heeded his team’s warnings. They said he admitted holding Verstappen up.

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“Car 43 [Colapinto] was weaving across the track warming tyres on the straight between turns 14 and 15 when car 3 approached at high speed. Team radio confirmed that the driver of car 43 had received progressive warnings from the team that car three was behind and closing. When car three arrived, car 43 stopped weaving but remained on the racing line and then accelerated but the closing speed of the two cars was such that the driver of car three had to abandon his push lap.

“The driver of car 43 candidly acknowledged that he had impeded car three. He said that he had misjudged the closing speed and accelerated to attempt to prevent the impeding but had insufficient energy to do so. The driver of car three said that he expected car 43 to move to the left and when he saw that wasn’t happening, he abandoned his lap.

“The stewards determined that the driver of car 43 unnecessarily impeded car three and impose the usual penalty for such an infringement in a free practice session of a warning.”

Carlos Sainz Jnr was also cleared of holding Liam Lawson up in first practice and the stewards took no action over the collision between Sergio Perez and Alexander Albon in the same session.

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