Lewis Hamilton's mere reprimand at the German GP exposes the inconsistencies in F1 driver penalties?

The German Grand Prix is done and dusted after an absorbing and engaging race that ended in the most appropriate way possible. Viewers around the world were witness to a team radio conversation between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes race engineer Pete Bonnington where the latter simply says, "miracles do happen".

The "miracle" was in keeping with Hamilton's incredible rise to the front of the grid despite starting in 14th place after a failed qualifying session. But that wasn't the only story of a momentous day at the Hockeheimring.

Periodic rain, confusion in the pit lane, drivers making silly mistakes, it was all on show at the German GP and made for some entertaining viewing. Sebastian Vettel dramatically crashed out of the race following a costly error of his own that may well have altered the course of the driver's Championship to the detriment of the hometown boy despite starting on pole position after a virtually spotless qualifying run on a track he is very comfortable driving on. Following the race however, another story was developing with regards to the antics Lewis Hamilton pulled off en route to his race victory.

On lap 53, Hamilton seemed to be heading for the pits but surprisingly pulled out at the very last second, inevitably cutting across the grass between the main track and the entrance of the pit lane. The incident highlighted the confusion within the Mercedes pit crew and the same was validated by the team radio conversations between Hamilton and those present in the dugout. The dramatic yes and no calls made it clear that it was more an error in judgment than a pre-meditated move by Mercedes but an inquiry into the matter was nonetheless required according to F1 regulations and the FIA International Sporting Code in particular.

As it eventually turned out, Hamilton escaped with just a reprimand, his first of the season, and did not face sanctions that would force him to give up a famous victory in Germany.

And sanctions he would have faced, if found guilty. Race results showed a 4.5 second gap between Hamilton and his teammate Valtteri Bottas, and if similar past incidents are to be taken into consideration, FIA race stewards probably made a controversial call.

Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari ended up in a similar mess back in 2016 at the European Grand Prix in Baku. Raikkonen was deemed to have had all four of his tyres inside the entry of the pit lane lines after which the Finnish driver headed back onto track. Ferrari officials would almost certainly have had something to do with the incident as well, but back then, Raikkonen was immediately slapped with a five-second penalty for his efforts.

Kimi Raikkonen's penalty

But if one compares this report with the more recent Hamilton one, the result is very different. Hamilton is only given a reprimand after a lengthy review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident after it became very clearly visible that the Brit's Mercedes crossed the white line.

Hamilton only

given

a reprimand

As can be seen, the stewards have given their assessment of the incident citing crucially that the safety car was in deployment at the time and that no danger was apparent to any other racer by his maneuver. But it does expose some inconsistencies in decision making and raises some pertinent questions.

The report also lays down that the driver and team admitted their "mistake" and the fact that there was confusion among the ranks. If there clearly was miscommunication, that may well have been categorised as dangerous if there had turned out to be any driver on track during that time. It also negates the safety car argument basically saying that if a safety car has been deployed, teams can be allowed to take liberties on track.

The FIA race stewards have been notorious for making strict calls in the past with most recent examples being the Sebastian Vettel five-second penalty for contact with Valtteri Bottas at the French GP and Kimi Raikkonen's ten-second penalty for colliding with Lewis Hamilton two weeks later at Silverstone. Why then, the question must be asked, has a more liberal view been taken that could influence the Championship in a big way?

It is clear that Mercedes did anticipate some action for their infringement, and Hamilton quickly went on record after the race to clear out that he returned to race safety as soon as possible while also admitting to the clear confusion within the team that was well documented via radio.

Regardless of who ends up winning the Championship, FIA stewards need to realise the importance of consistent calls because they may well make or break a team's final position when all is said and done.

Should the FIA Stewards be more consistent in awarding driver penalties? Have your say in the comments below