Lewis Hamilton Keeps P4 After Belgian GP Verdict

Lewis Hamilton retained fourth place at the Belgian Grand Prix after the stewards completed their investigation into an unsafe release involving a Ferrari mechanic.

Hamilton made his only pit stop under Virtual Safety Car conditions midway through the race. Before the tyre change began, he first served a five-second time penalty for his opening-lap collision with George Russell.

As Hamilton received the green light to leave the pit box, a mechanic stepped forward to adjust the front-wing flap angle. Hamilton’s car then made contact with the mechanic, although the incident fortunately caused no serious injury.

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Hamilton immediately stopped the car after recognising that the mechanic was in his path. The stewards determined that the Ferrari driver reacted correctly and lost additional time because of the incident.

On that basis, the stewards decided against imposing any further sporting penalty on Hamilton. He remained classified in fourth place and moved into second position in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings.

Ferrari was nevertheless held responsible for the pit stop procedural failure and received a €30,000 fine. Of that amount, €10,000 was suspended for 12 months on the condition that the team does not commit a similar offence during that period.

The stewards stated that procedural failures of this nature endanger mechanic safety and therefore justified a significant financial penalty. However, because Hamilton stopped immediately and gained no sporting advantage, an additional time penalty was considered inappropriate.

Ferrari must also submit a report to the FIA within 14 days. The document must outline the protocols introduced to reduce the risk of a similar pit stop incident occurring again.