Lewis Hamilton Avoids Second Penalty After Pit Incident

Lewis Hamilton avoided an additional time penalty after the stewards determined that he was not at fault for an unsafe release involving a Ferrari mechanic during the Belgian Grand Prix.

The incident occurred as Hamilton left his pit box on Lap 20 under Virtual Safety Car conditions. A mechanic preparing to adjust the front wing moved into the path of the right-front tyre after the green release light was activated prematurely.

The mechanic was contacted at low speed and fell but escaped without injury. Hamilton immediately stopped after recognising the situation and only moved again once the area ahead of his car was clear.

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The stewards concluded that the incident resulted from an unusual combination of circumstances. Hamilton was serving a five-second penalty for his opening-lap collision with George Russell, while Charles Leclerc was still in his pit box when Hamilton entered the pit lane.

Hamilton had also requested a front-wing adjustment over the radio, but that information was not communicated effectively to the pit stop super controller. Once the penalty had been served, the instruction to begin work and the request for a wing adjustment were delivered almost simultaneously.

The green light was then activated after the tyre change had been completed and the car was lowered from the jack. At the same moment, the mechanic carrying the wing-adjustment tool stepped forward with his head down and did not see the release signal.

Ferrari acknowledged that the car had been released unsafely. The stewards attributed the incident to the late wing-adjustment instruction, unclear internal communication and the mechanic’s failure to notice the green light rather than any action by Hamilton.

Ferrari received a €30,000 fine, with €10,000 suspended on the condition that it reviews its pit stop procedures and submits a remedial report to the FIA. The absence of a sporting penalty allowed Hamilton to retain fourth place before Formula 1 moves to its next round.