It had been noted by the stewards during the 24-lap race that Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and Zhou Guanyu had possibly failed to follow the start procedure correctly in Brazil. The stewards would later clarify that the trio were not lined up in positions that could lead to an advantage. As for why these drivers appeared slightly outside their grid box, stewards cited poor visibility from the cars plus the fact that the grid boxes at the Interlagos circuit are slightly smaller than usual. “The marshals reviewed the starting order as it was observed that several cars were potentially outside their grid box in breach of Article 8.6.1.a) of the FIA ​​International Sporting Code, either to the left or right of the grid box. “, the verdict read. “Having reviewed all available video angles and taking measurements on the grid, the stewards noticed that the grid boxes were slightly smaller than usual and that the visibility of the drivers made compliance extremely difficult and that no driver was in a position to win some advantage. The stewards are therefore content to take no further action.” Hamilton was caught off guard when Sky Sports F1 informed him that the stewards were possibly looking at his starting position. He would go on to explain that the wheel fairings on these 2022 Formula 1 challengers make it a guessing game as to where the box parameters are. “The thing is, I can’t even see the grid,” Hamilton said. “This year they have these fairings over the front tires and you pull up and then the whole grid box disappears so you’re just guessing where to stop basically. “Well, yeah, I hope I was in it. I try every time to be in it.” Hamilton produced another solid sprint performance at Interlagos to finish P3 from a P8 start, which included a pass on 2021 title rival Max Verstappen to secure that position. Dropping five places for Carlos Sainz, Hamilton will join team-mate George Russell on the front row to form a Mercedes lock-out after Russell took the checkered flag for the first time in his Formula 1 career. Read next: Mercedes admits George Russell’s sprint win over Max Verstappen was ‘unexpected’