"It was not really justified"; Esteban Ocon has hit back after he received a five-second time penalty for colliding with Lewis Hamilton during the Monaco GP; despite finishing the race in ninth, the penalty means the Alpine driver ended up in 12th and out of the points positions
Sunday 29 May 2022 19:17, UK
Esteban Ocon has hit back after a five-second time penalty for colliding with Lewis Hamilton on lap 18th of the race resulted in him finishing out of the points positions at the Monaco GP.
Ocon was involved in a long tussle with Hamilton, as the Mercedes driver tried to find an opportunity to overtake him on the tight Monaco circuit.
When Hamilton finally thought he found space and started to overtake, his front wing was hit by Ocon. The coming together was judged by the stewards to have been worthy of a penalty against Ocon, meaning the Alpine driver's ninth-place finish was demoted to 12th.
Ocon was visibly angry at the penalty, believing that the collision should have been classed as a racing incident.
"I think we did everything right in general," Ocon said to Sky Sports F1 after the race.
"We were racing well until we got that five-second time penalty which, you know, is not really justified unfortunately. I am very frustrated with that because it ruined our result of today's race, but that is how it is.
"We went to a review with the stewards and they said if it had been last year it would have been a racing incident, so I don't know really what has changed this year.
"If you want to overtake in Monaco there has to be some sort of contact because there is no space to do so," he continued.
"Lewis was quicker behind with the other tyres and we were racing hard for sure, but we were racing for position, and we were racing at the end again.
"It was fair racing, a bit of contact for sure, but we didn't suffer so it is very disappointing and I am pretty frustrated."
Despite Ocon's clear frustrations, Hamilton was much more considered after the race, which he finished in eighth place.
Hamilton admitted that he'd been expecting to be held up by the Alpines of Ocon and Fernando Alonso, who qualified just in front and behind him.
"I might have been able to jump but I don't know what was possible, I haven't seen, but it certainly didn't help being stuck behind them both," Hamilton said.
"Honestly I didn't find it frustrating, it is what you expect here in Monaco. I knew when I qualified behind one of them it was going to be something like that.
"I was hoping the rain was going to open up some more opportunities but it didn't.
"You live, you learn and you move on."
An epic Formula 1 2022 season continues with the Azerbaijan GP from the high-speed Baku street circuit on June 10-12. All the action will be live on Sky Sports F1 and the race - which often delivers chaos - is at 12pm on the Sunday.
