“If that’s not racing, then I don’t know” - Martin Brundle feels for Lewis Hamilton after he was handed a ‘harsh’ 5-second penalty

The penalty for Lewis Hamilton in the Sprint race of the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix has caused a stir in the F1 world. Legendary F1 commentator Martin Brundle has raised doubts about the decision of race stewards to impose a five-second time penalty on Hamilton. This was following his collision with Sergio Perez.

The incident occurred on Lap 6 of the race when Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, attempted to make a pass on Perez's Red Bull car. As he made his move, Hamilton under-steered slightly and made contact with the side of Perez's car, causing significant side-pod damage.

The damage proved to be severe enough to force Perez out of the race, as he rapidly fell down the order due to the impaired performance of his car.

The penalty had a significant impact on Mercedes' and Lewis Hamilton's race, dropping him from fourth to seventh place in the final classification. Brundle, who is renowned for his insightful commentary and deep understanding of the sport, shared his perspective on the incident.

He expressed his reservations about the penalty while speaking to Sky F1 following the Sprint race.

Defending Lewis Hamilton's actions, Martin Brundle highlighted the essence of racing and the inherent unpredictability of on-track situations. He stated that it was not a case of Hamilton attempting an impossible move or recklessly endangering himself and others.

Instead, as per him, Hamilton had legitimately positioned himself on the inside of the corner, making his move in line with the competitive nature of the sport.

“What is racing? If that’s not racing, and therefore a racing incident, then I don’t know. It wasn’t Lewis launching an impossible move. He was on the inside of the corner."

Brundle acknowledged that the incident had a consequential impact on the race, as Perez was forced to retire. However, he also noted that it was the Mercedes car sliding to the left, rather than the Red Bull car pinching him, that led to the collision.

“It did take Checo out of the race so we have to consider that. And it was definitely the Mercedes sliding left rather than the Red Bull pinching him."

Martin Brundle believes the collision between Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez was just a "racing incident"

F1 Grand Prix of Belgium - Sprint

In Martin Brundle's eyes, the collision was a racing incident, and the penalty handed down was too severe. He argued that Lewis Hamilton had claimed the corner and was already positioned on the inside when the incident occurred.

Furthermore, Brundle pointed out that there had been an error in the corner before by Sergio Perez, which might have contributed to the situation.

“I thought it was a racing incident. I thought the penalty was harsh. I’ll stand by that. Lewis had claimed the corner. There was an error in the corner before by Perez. [Hamilton] was on the inside. Yes, the car did understeer a little bit."

At the same time, Brundle empathized with the stewards' responsibility to review and penalize such incidents. But he maintained that classifying it as a racing incident would have been a more appropriate decision.

"I understand what the stewards have done. But I would want to call that a racing incident because Lewis can’t disappear in that moment. He claimed the corner. What can he do?”

The incident involving Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez will undoubtedly continue to be a topic of discussion in the F1 community and among fans.