Hamilton: the illusion of pole
Sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix was concluding with pole position Lewis Hamilton, author of the best time in an SQ3 characterized by rain and track conditions which put the drivers to the test on their ability to keep the car on the track. However, the celebration at Mercedes was canceled shortly afterwards due to the decision taken by the Race Direction, which considered the lap time that had been canceled out by Lando Norris even before the latter achieved it.
The FIA's mistake
The McLaren driver, in his launch laphe in fact lost control of his car at the last corner, exceeding the track limits. For this reason, the Commissioners rightly canceled the time of that lap, but also canceled that of the following lap, making a mistake. In fact, no article in the sporting regulations provides for the cancellation of the lap following the one in which the track limits are not respected. Once the final round has been completed, the FIA has indeed Norris' time was considered validwho thus obtained pole position with just over a second ahead of his compatriot.
Mercedes accepts the decision
The decision thus sparked controversy, but who will not appeal or protest for what happened he will be the Mercedes Team Principal: Toto Wolff. Interviewed by Sky Sports at the end of qualifying, the Austrian manager was very clear on the issue: “I didn't see this detail – he explained in reference to the track limits not respected by Norris – I only saw that he had four tires off the track, but honestly it was even slowerso probably it could have gone faster. So I'm fine with that“.
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