Another incident involving Hamilton could explain Ocon’s penalty
The penalty received by Esteban Ocon could finally be explained by another incident with Lewis Hamilton that was not shown during the race.
Lap 18, the footage shows the end of an action between Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton. The slow-motion replay leaves no doubts: there was contact between the two drivers. A few minutes later, Ocon is penalized by the FIA with a 5-second penalty, a sanction that many consider harsh, including the French driver himself in a post-race interview.
But this penalty could ultimately be explained by another action, which the broadcast did not show during the race. The next lap, Hamilton comes back at him entering the first turn, just like he did in the previous lap. Except this time, Ocon pushes him towards the right side of the track and towards the barriers at the beginning of the braking zone.
The mention « at the approach of the first corner » in the FIA official document explaining Ocon’s penalty can lead to the belief that it is this incident that was judged and not the one shown by F1 during the race. The sanction remains the same in any case, with these additional 5 seconds, Esteban Ocon drops back to 12th place and does not score any points in this Monaco Grand Prix.
