Fred Vasseur raises key issue around Lewis Hamilton penalty

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has raised a key issue regarding Lewis Hamilton's five-place grid penalty, noting that the Briton was penalised based on a matter of opinion.

Hamilton received the penalty for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix after being judged to have not slowed down sufficiently under yellow flags on his way to the grid in Zandvoort.

Given what the seven-time world champion did at the final corner and as he approached the pit lane, a harsher penalty could have been issued. However, the Dutch Grand Prix stewards concluded that he had at least made an effort to reduce his speed.

One Ferrari driver described the penalty as "hardcore," while Vasseur refrained from expressing frustration about the decision.

However, the Frenchman pointed out that a different panel of stewards might have interpreted Hamilton's actions differently, since the matter is ultimately subjective, potentially resulting in a different punishment.

Asked if he was frustrated about Hamilton's grid penalty, Vasseur told media at Monza: "Frustration—I’m not sure that’s the right word. For sure, we were a bit disappointed. Honestly, I don’t know if it was too harsh or not. 

"But from Sunday evening in Zandvoort, my decision was to be focused on Monza and not to spend energy or whatever to fight this.

"The frustration with the decision came also because—you have to slow down, yes—but it’s subjective. It’s not black or white. It’s not “you have to be at the pit lane.” "It’s someone deciding if you slowed enough or not. 

"And depending on the person making the decision, it will be different. But it is what it is. We decided to focus on the weekend and not lose energy on other projects."