World champion just one reprimand away from grid penalty
Monday 2 May 2016 22:53, UK
Lewis Hamilton has accepted he is likely to receive a grid penalty this season after receiving his second reprimand of 2016.
During Russian GP qualifying, the world champion rejoined the track incorrectly after running wide at Turn Two and was called to see officials following the session.
That reprimand followed an incident in Bahrain when he was cautioned for reversing in the pitlane after securing pole.
Nico: Means less without Lewis
Drivers are only allowed three reprimands during the season before receiving a 10-place grid penalty and Hamilton branded his latest rap "ridiculous" after the race in Sochi, where he finished second behind Nico Rosberg.
"I'm just aware that there's most likely going to be at least one 10-place penalty in the future because I've got one more reprimand to go," the world champion said. "The last one was bloody ridiculous."
"It's quite funny. When I was in karting there was one steward, he was just there to make everyone's weekend a bad weekend. And I'm starting to have reminiscent experiences.
Hamilton defends Merc despite reliability issues
"Families would turn up and spend so much money to be there for weekend. There was one guy - complete a***hole this guy was, I heard he's still there - he was just there to ruin peoples weekend. I'm starting to see signs of him."
When asked which reprimand he was talking about, Hamilton replied he couldn't "remember what the last one was".
On being reminded of the two incidents, the Mercedes driver responded: "Both of them!"
Rosberg has started the year with four straight victories to take his winning streak to seven, and has also enjoyed a reliable start to 2016, whereas Hamilton has been dogged by engine issues and first-corner mishaps.
In Russia, another failure meant he missed the final phase of qualifying and Mercedes had to fly parts out overnight to ensure he did not start from the pitlane.
Drivers have five power units each to last a season, and exceeding that allocation incurs automatic penalties. With 17 grands prix remaining this season, Hamilton is aware of the consequences.
"We've got a long way to go with not so many engines," he told Sky F1. "So we just need to do a better job."
Don't miss the F1 Report for all the analysis of the Russian GP at 8:30pm on Wednesday on Sky Sports F1. Natalie Pinkham is joined in the studio by Sky Sports F1's David Croft and Marc Priestley.
