Hamilton formally summoned to Qatar stewards

Lewis Hamilton has formally been summoned to the FIA stewards following qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver was summoned for "exceeding the time limit between the Safety Car lines during qualifying" which refers to the minimum lap time in Q1.

Liam Lawson, Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda were also placed under investigation for the breach of race director Niels Wittich's event notes, but only Hamilton has been formally requested to attend the stewards.

At Lusail, a 1:46.000 minimum lap-time is in place, however, drivers will not be penalised if it is found they went slower than the time if they were getting out of the way of fast-approaching traffic.

The full statement from the stewards read: Alleged breach of Article 12.2.1 i) of the International Sporting Code and non-compliance with Race Director’s Event Note (item 4.2, document 16) – Exceeding the time limit between the Safety Car lines during Qualifying.

Carlos Sainz is also under formal investigation for "erratic driving" after a close moment on track with Max Verstappen in Q2 before the Ferrari was eliminated.