Formula 1: 3 recent restarts which Lewis Hamilton botched

Late restarts botched by Lewis Hamilton: No. 2 – Brazil 2019

Let’s go back to the first notable instance, chronologically speaking, included in this article. Late in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Red Bull were poised for a double podium finish, perhaps even a 1-2 result, with Max Verstappen leading ahead of rookie Alexander Albon in second place.

After an incident involving Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel, the race was restarted with just two laps remaining. Lewis Hamilton was running in third place, and he attempted to pass Albon, who was seeking his first career podium finish, for second on the race’s penultimate lap.

Instead, he made contact with Albon and spun him out, allowing Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly to pass both drivers and move into second place. Verstappen went on to win the season’s penultimate race ahead of Gasly in a career-high second and Hamilton in third.

Hamilton got to stand on the podium after finishing in third place, but he was demoted down the order as a result of a five-second penalty which he admitted that he deserved for his contact with Albon, to whom he sincerely apologized.

With the race having only a two-lap green flag run to the finish, these five seconds proved huge and demoted Hamilton a total of four positions to seventh place. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. moved onto the podium, but Albon finished in 14th.