Lewis Hamilton avoided a penalty for a yellow flag incident during the Brazilian GP Sprint Qualifying as the stewards concluded that the driver could not "perceive" the yellow lights that were apparently illuminated for only "a fraction of a second." The 40-year-old has walked away with just a reprimand for the incident and will start Saturday's sprint from P11.Hamilton's Brazilian GP weekend has begun in torrid fashion, with the driver and his team looking too far off the pace on Friday. Both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc struggled with the Ferrari SF-25 during FP1 and then the Sprint Qualifying, not being able to match the pace of the Mercedes and Max Verstappen's Red Bull.To make matters worse, Leclerc spun around at Turn 10 on his final run in SQ2 and ruined Hamilton's final lap as a result, meaning he was knocked out. Later, the stewards summoned the Briton for not slowing down during the yellow flag period.After analyzing onboard footage, telemetry data, and hearing Hamilton's side of the story, the stewards have not awarded a penalty to the Ferrari man.Lewis Hamilton explained to the stewards that he did not see the yellow light signal, which onboard footage confirmed was illuminated for only a fraction of a second before he passed it. The stewards accepted that his focus on the turn-in point meant he likely didn’t "perceive" the brief warning.However, Hamilton admitted that he saw Charles Leclerc’s stationary car and a green light beyond that point, meaning he should have known he was in a yellow flag zone. Telemetry showed he hesitated on the throttle but didn’t slow down enough. This meant that the stewards issued the first reprimand of the season to the 7x world champion, but he avoided any sporting penalties.Lewis Hamilton shares his thoughts on getting knocked out in SQ2 for Brazilian GPLewis Hamilton speaking to the media after Sprint Qualifying - Source: GettyLewis Hamilton explained that he gave it everything on his side, but the ultimate pace of the Ferrari SF-25 knocked him out in SQ2 at the Brazilian GP on Friday. The veteran also revealed that the Italian team was expecting to be a lot quicker than they eventually proved to be at Interlagos.Speaking to the media after sprint qualifying on Friday, Hamilton reflected on his SQ2 exit, firstly explaining how the yellow flags on his final lap impeded him to a certain degree."Yeah, it definitely didn't help, but it's definitely not for the lack of trying. The team thought that we were a lot faster than we are," said Hamilton."I gave it everything, and ultimately that's what matters the most. It's just that we're not quick enough," he added.Hamilton then made a telling statement, claiming that he is now simply focusing on trying to at least have fun for the rest of the 2025 season. He also reflected on his season as a whole, explaining that it had not gone well.