Lewis Hamilton says he 'totally deserved' grid penalty
ByReuters
Published 29/06/2019 at 17:49 GMT
Lewis Hamilton said he "totally deserved" a three-place Austrian Grand Prix grid penalty that dropped him from the front row of the grid to fifth and threatens to end his Mercedes team's streak of success on Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton
Image credit: Getty Images
Stewards punished the five times world champion, who had qualified second behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, for impeding Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen in qualifying.
The sanction means Red Bull's Max Verstappen, last year's race winner, will now move up to form a front row of 21-year-olds. "Totally deserved the penalty today and have no problem accepting it," Hamilton said on Instagram.
"Was a mistake on my behalf and I take full responsibility for it. It wasn't intentional. Anyway, tomorrow is another day and an opportunity to rise.
"These things are sent to try us. We all have to push through whatever it is we are up against, whether it's right or wrong, just continue to believe in yourself!," he added. "We have the power to overcome obstacles even when they appear too large a task."
Hamilton was also handed one penalty point, his first of the 12 months period
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