Lewis Hamilton to start from fourth, NOT fifth for Austrian Grand Prix!
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
In a puzzling decision from the FIA and its stewards, Lewis Hamilton will start from fourth place rather than fifth, despite the Brit receiving a three-place grid penalty and qualifying in second.
The reason for Hamilton actually starting fourth is this (try to follow us here).
Kevin Magnussen, who qualified in fifth, had a five-place grid penalty for swapping gearbox. This was known before qualifying started. So, Magnussen moved five places back to P10. This left P5 'empty'. Rather than pushing Lando Norris into this 'empty' space first and then applying Hamilton's penalty, it goes the other way around. So, Hamilton's penalty moved him to the 'empty' P5, and then back up to P4 because P5 was empty. Thén, afterwards, Norris moves into the empty space.
So, basically, Hamilton gets a two-place penalty rather than three. The reigning champion is lucky that Magnussen needed a new gearbox in his Haas, it gives him one less car to overtake.
The second starting row on the grid will now consist of the two Mercedes cars, meaning Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in first and second respectively will have a massive job on their hands on Sunday keeping the Silver Arrows behind them.
Here's the full starting grid as the FIA released it this evening.
