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Kimi Raikkonen has received his second reprimand of the Mexican Grand Prix Formula 1 weekend for his abandoned attempt to enter the pitlane when Lance Stroll’s crash stopped qualifying.
Alfa Romeo driver Raikkonen – who had his first rebuke from the stewards for not following the correct rejoining procedure after going off the track in Friday practice – was coming into the final corner of the Mexico City circuit when Stroll slid his Aston Martin into the barriers in a crash that caused a lengthy red flag period.
Seeing the initial yellow flag warning panels, Raikkonen made an initial decision to cut across the painted area separating the racetrack from the pitlane entry before changing his mind and going over it again to rejoin the track.
The stewards described this as a “breach of the FIA code of driving conduct on circuits and a failure to follow the race director’s instruction given in article 19.3 of the event notes”.
But they felt a reprimand was a sufficient punishment, so Raikkonen keeps his season-best 12th on the grid.
“I was kind of at the pit entry on my fast lap when the light came on,” Raikkonen explained.
“Sometimes they get upset if you don’t try to go there.
“I thought I’d go in over the line just to make it more clear but I decided to go back.”
Lando Norris also escaped a penalty for the same offence after sliding across the pitlane markings while grappling with slick tyres on a wet track near the end of the Russian GP.
That decision was cited by Fernando Alonso as an example of the F1 stewards following “different rules for different people”.
Alonso and Raikkonen’s contentious battle at the United States GP – in which Alonso felt Raikkonen should’ve been penalised for forcing him off-track – was discussed in the drivers’ meeting ahead of this weekend’s Mexico race.
But Raikkonen had “zero interest” in that episode being raked over again.
“Why waste time on something that happened a couple of weeks ago?” he added.
