Pierre Gasly has been handed a reprimand for driving unnecessarily slowly and impeding Lewis Hamilton during the opening Japanese Grand Prix practice session.
Hamilton was on a hot lap when he had to take avoiding action on the approach to the Turn 16 chicane, with the Toro Rosso driver in the way.
Stewards deemed that Gasly’s offence was worthy of a reprimand, his second of the campaign, moving him one away from a 10-place grid penalty.
“On approaching Turn 16, car No 10 [Gasly] slowed down significantly on the racing line,” read the stewards report.
“Car 44 [Hamilton] was approaching at racing speed on a hot lap and had to take evasive action to avoid car 10.
“The driver of car No 10 admitted that he impeded car 44 and acknowledged that he ought to have stayed on the right hand side of the track and had left it too late to move off the racing line.
“As this occurred in free practice we imposed a reprimand on the driver of car No 10.
