Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton has been dealt a big setback ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix with the FIA announcing a penalty for the seven-time champion ahead of Sunday’s race.

The punishment was announced after qualifying on Saturday following an on-track incident with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

Perez was on a flying lap, which he abandoned when he encountered an unfortunately placed Silver Arrows car.

Hamilton’s penalty compounds a miserable Saturday in Zandvoort for the seven-time world champion, who suffered a shock Q2 exit not long after his impeding offense.

Where will Lewis Hamilton start the Dutch Grand Prix?

Following a summons from the race stewards, the FIA have slapped Hamilton with a three-place grid penalty for impeding Perez during Q1.

It adds to his struggles in the Netherlands, where he was already preparing to start from P12 following a poor Q2 lap time.

Hamilton will now start from 15th, eleven places behind team-mate George Russell, who edged Perez out for P4.

It seems that the stewards did not agree with Hamilton’s initial assessment, where he claimed over team radio that he was well out of the way of Perez.

Perez’s reaction was less calm: “What the f*** is this idiot doing?” he asked over team radio.

When back in the garage having made it into Q2 – though minus a fresh set of tires having abandoned the initial lap – the 34-year-old was still unhappy.

“Yeah but we f****** waste a set so please, for worse than that I’ve been penalized so I don’t expect any less,” he added on the radio.

He was more rational in his post-race interview with Sky Sports F1, admitting it was unfortunate timing for Hamilton, though mentioned that the stewards had typically come down hard on these sorts of incidents.

“I think it will cost him a penalty but other than that I think it was just wrong timing wrong moment,” the Red Bull driver added.

Indeed, Hamilton received nothing less than a three-place drop, and faces an uphill task to continue his rich vein of form.