Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying stoppage leads to rule clarification

Lewis Hamilton

F1's governing body has issued a rule clarification after Lewis Hamilton was penalized and reprimanded for running out of fuel at the end of qualifying in Montreal.

The McLaren driver took pole but was fined $10,000 after driving too slowly on his Q3 in-lap and then stopping on the circuit. His team ordered him to do so to ensure enough fuel was left in the tank for a sample to be tested by the FIA.

After the session Ross Brawn said it could set a dangerous precedent if teams start sending their drivers out without enough fuel to get back to the pits.

"I don't know all the details so it's hard to comment," he said. "But we must not come to a situation where cars run out of fuel after their last lap because they want to be running as light as possible."

The situation was discussed on Sunday during a meeting of team bosses and race director Charlie Whiting. Whiting reportedly clarified that, in future, any car that runs out of fuel at the end of qualifying will be summoned to the stewards, risking penalties if the reason for the stoppage is not 'force majeure'. ESPN UK