**Hamilton Blasts “Joke” Penalty as Verstappen Protests in Press Conference; Norris Weighs In**

Lewis Hamilton criticizes the "ridiculous" penalty while Max Verstappen protests during a press conference

Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris have expressed their disapproval of the penalty given to their F1 competitor, Max Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton has criticized the "joke" penalty given to Max Verstappen for using profanity during the FIA press conference at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen, a driver for Red Bull, received a community service penalty after using offensive language to describe his car's performance during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This incident occurred at an FIA press conference in Singapore on Thursday.

During the FIA press conference after the qualifying round, the three-time world champion provided brief answers and declined to respond to certain questions from reporters.

Nonetheless, Verstappen subsequently addressed reporters outside the room in the Singapore paddock.

Max Verstappen's competitors, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, who outpaced him for the pole position in Singapore, were questioned about their opinions on his penalty.

Norris humorously remarked that Verstappen "earned it," but then he clarified, "I believe it's quite unjust and I completely disagree with the entire situation."

Seven-time world champion Hamilton expressed that he found the penalty to be "somewhat laughable, to be frank."

“This is the highest level of the sport, and errors happen,” he said. “I definitely won’t be participating in community service, and I hope Max won’t either.”

When questioned about the duration he expects to avoid providing responses in FIA press conferences, Verstappen said: "I'm responding, just not very much. I have an issue with my voice."

In an interview with Sky Sports F1, Verstappen commented, "It's utterly absurd to receive a penalty for that. When you insult someone, it's obvious. My words weren't even directed at anyone."

"It's somewhat of a moment where someone misspeaks. This isn't directed at the stewards; they're simply adhering to the rulebook."

"I had a really good conversation with them regarding the matter. They are very empathetic, but the regulations are clear and they have to enforce them."

“In my opinion, this isn’t the best direction for our sport to take.”

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