Hamilton blasts F1 Mexico GP penalty: 'No transparency and accountability'

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton says there "isn't any clarity" on Formula 1 stewarding decisions after still feeling aggrieved by his Mexico Grand Prix penalty.

As part as a protracted battle with Max Verstappen on lap 6, Hamilton was given a 10-second penalty for going off the road at Mexico's Turn 4 and gaining a "lasting advantage", a punishment which dumped him behind a train of cars at his pitstop and knocked him out of a possible top four.

While maintaining he hadn't gained an advantage by going through a very low grip runoff area, Hamilton was also left puzzled by the decision as Verstappen had gone through the grass at the previous corner, directly leading to the Turn 4 confrontation.

Hamilton's team-mate Charles Leclerc also went off on the opening lap, while the seven-time world champion did his best to keep his car on track, calling the decision to only penalise himself for the off-track incidents "nuts". Hamilton's former Mercedes colleague George Russell shared his opinion, and was puzzled by the stewards not taking action against what he called "lawnmower" racing.

After cutting Turn 2 on lap 1, Leclerc handed his position back to leader Lando Norris but still remained ahead of Hamilton. Verstappen was eventually shuffled back to fourth between Hamilton and Russell, the position he held at the point he was forced off the road at Turn 1.

Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images

When asked in Sao Paulo if he had a better idea of why he was punished, Hamilton replied: "Not particularly. There isn't any clarity, and I think that's probably part of the big issue. Transparency and accountability.

"And also, the secrecy that the decisions are made in the background, I think it's something that definitely needs to be tackled. That's probably something that needs to be done in the background, I would imagine."

Making a reference to his traumatic 2021 Abu Dhabi title loss, he added: "I don't know if they're aware of the weight of their decisions. Ultimately, decisions can decide the results of championships, as you've seen in the past. Some work needs to be done there, I'm sure."

Hamilton and Verstappen were both cleared for trading glancing blows through Turn 1, a racing incident which ultimately triggered their battle through Turns 3 and 4 and Hamilton's costly off.