Toto Wolff has expressed disappointment over Lewis Hamilton’s penalties at the Russian Grand Prix, believing them to be “far-fetched”.
Hamilton was handed two five-second time penalties after performing a practice start towards the end of the pit lane and not keeping to a constant speed at the pit exit.
Hamilton, who came home in third place, voiced his disapproval over the penalties following the race, insisting the stewards were trying to stop him from winning.
Wolff also criticised the decision, affirming that Mercedes disagrees with the stewards’ judgements.
“Ron [Meadows] and I were [with] the stewards, the verdict was that he wasn’t in the right place,” Wolff said.
“There is no mention what the right place is in the directors’ note, nor is it in the regulations.
“The other one was for not driving at constant speed in the reconnaissance laps, and again, it’s debatable but the race has happened.
“He received a 10-second penalty. For the reconnaissance lap infringement, an in-race penalty can be debated also but we have to take it on the chin and move on.
“I’m not happy with the penalty because it’s far-fetched. But we will agree to disagree and I will always respect the stewards’ and their job but on that one we will agree to disagree.”
Hamilton was also handed two penalty points for the incidents, however that was later changed to a €25,000 fine after the stewards determined it was a team error rather than a driver mishap.
While Hamilton missed out on the race win, his team-mate Valtteri Bottas took his second victory of the year.
“I think Valtteri was overdue to win a race,” Wolff said. “It was very close in several qualifyings.
“He was in the lead in Mugello and in that respect, he deserved the win. He drove a brilliant race, kept his cool, and just cruised home.”
