Unheard Ferrari team radio shows Lewis Hamilton did everything he could to avoid Monaco Grand Prix penalty

Lewis Hamilton starts the Monaco Grand Prix further back than he anticipated, after being issued a penalty by the stewards after qualifying.

Having initially qualified in fourth place, Hamilton was looking at a second-row start in the Monaco GP as the Ferraris flanked the McLaren pair.

But the stewards announced they would be investigating him after qualifying, following an incident with Max Verstappen in the first part of qualifying in which the seven-time world champion appeared to impede him.

Hamilton was seen moving slowly at the entry to Massenet with Verstappen behind him starting his hot lap, approaching him at higher speeds. Verstappen had to change his line to avoid contact, with the stewards seemingly feeling he was impeded by Hamilton and issued a three-place grid penalty.

This now means Hamilton will start the race from seventh place, but the incident could have been avoided after hearing one piece of crucial unheard team radio.

Lewis Hamilton told his engineer to keep him updated on gaps

Traffic at Monaco in the early stages of qualifying was always going to be an issue, especially given that drivers experienced a few near-misses in practice.

Damon Hill felt the FIA should have acted after a ‘dangerous’ moment for Max Verstappen in practice, in which he nearly collided with two cars.

In light of this, Hamilton told his engineer, Ricciardo Adami, to keep him updated on the gaps to the cars behind to ensure they didn’t get caught out by anyone on a quick lap.

While Adami did eventually tell him that Verstappen was on a lap behind him, he would later tell him that he was slowing down in a miscommunication, leading to the incident between the two.

Max Verstappen promoted to second row after Lewis Hamilton penalty

Hamilton’s penalty means that Verstappen will start the race from fourth place and on the second row of the grid, which presents a good opportunity for the Dutchman.

Verstappen will be hopeful that Red Bull can capitalise on a good strategy to upset the front runners, especially considering teams must pit at least twice in the race.

After Verstappen’s impressive start in the race at Imola, Oscar Piastri will be wary of him pulling off a similar move into St Devote.

Verstappen will likely want to get ahead of the Australian, as it will enable him to close the gap in the Drivers’ Championship to the McLarens.