Could Lewis Hamilton face disqualification from the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix? The Ferrari driver raised concerns over the team radio during the race, hinting at a potential issue that could lead to post-race penalties. After qualifying in sixteenth place and being further demoted to eighteenth on the starting grid due to an engine component change, the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion managed to cross the finish line in a respectable seventh position.
The Grand Prix at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit was delayed by over an hour due to severe weather conditions. Visibility on the track had dropped to dangerously low levels, making it impossible to start the race safely at the scheduled time. Once the race was underway, Lewis Hamilton was among the first drivers to enter the pit lane for a tyre change, a decision that allowed him to gain several positions and ultimately secure a top-ten finish.
However, his race was far from straightforward. Hamilton spent more than twenty laps stuck behind the Williams of Alexander Albon, unable to execute a clean overtake. The real cause for concern emerged in the final stages of the race, when Hamilton suddenly radioed his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, with a worrying message: “I can’t attack, I don’t have fuel, mate!” Moments later, the Ferrari driver followed up by asking, “Can I push or not?” to which Adami cautiously responded that Hamilton should remain on “standby.”
After a period of radio silence lasting about half a lap, Lewis Hamilton pressed his engineer again, asking for an update. The final instruction came: “Let’s stay where we are.”
Despite the alarming radio communication and the possibility that his SF-25 car was running extremely low on fuel, Lewis Hamilton successfully parked his Ferrari in parc fermé after the chequered flag, apparently without any issues. At the time of writing this article, no official irregularities have been reported, but it is possible that car number 44 will be subjected to a detailed post-race inspection.
What could happen in such cases? If the car is found to be underweight due to insufficient fuel or other factors, the driver could face disqualification from the race. A similar situation occurred earlier in the 2025 Formula 1 season during the Chinese Grand Prix, when Charles Leclerc’s SF-25 was found to be one kilogram under the minimum weight requirement after post-race scrutineering.
Although nothing has been confirmed so far, the words spoken over the team radio and the circumstances surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s final laps at Spa may lead to a thorough investigation. The rules regarding minimum fuel and car weight are strict, and even a small infraction could result in a harsh penalty. For now, Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton will have to wait and see whether the matter develops further after the FIA completes its post-race technical checks.
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