Ferrari team radio has revealed that Lewis Hamilton received an initial reassurance from race engineer Carlo Santi over his final Hungarian Grand Prix pit stop before being informed of a five-second penalty several laps later. The sanction for speeding in the pit lane turned fourth place on the road into fifth behind Charles Leclerc.
It completed a costly weekend for the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, who had already lost his second-place qualifying result through a grid penalty. A late virtual safety car appeared to offer Lewis Hamilton an opportunity to challenge for second in the race, but the subsequent pit-lane infringement instead contributed to his drop down the final classification.
How Lewis Hamilton’s Hungarian GP penalty unfolded
Ferrari called Lewis Hamilton in for a third pit stop after Oscar Piastri’s retirement triggered the virtual safety car. The British driver returned to the circuit alongside Kimi Antonelli and initially emerged ahead of the Mercedes.
However, Lewis Hamilton was determined to have been behind Kimi Antonelli at the safety car line, meaning he had to return the position. Even before Ferrari notified him of any further problem, Lewis Hamilton appeared to suspect that something might have gone wrong during the stop.
Lewis Hamilton asked Carlo Santi whether everything connected to the pit stop had been handled correctly. Carlo Santi responded that Ferrari had not identified an issue on its side and reassured the driver that everything appeared to be in order.
A few laps later, Lewis Hamilton again sought confirmation from the pit wall. Only then did Ferrari inform him that he had received a five-second penalty for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit, showing that the earlier reassurance had been delivered prematurely.
Five-second penalty reverses the Ferrari finishing order
Lewis Hamilton crossed the line 4.3 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, provisionally securing fourth place. Once the five-second sanction was applied, the order was reversed and Lewis Hamilton was officially classified fifth, just 0.7 seconds behind his Ferrari team-mate in the final Hungarian Grand Prix results.
The final stop had briefly created the possibility of Lewis Hamilton emerging in contention for second place. Instead, the requirement to return Kimi Antonelli’s position and the later time penalty helped turn that opportunity into a fifth-place finish. It became another entry in the sequence of errors that left Ferrari without a Hungaroring podium.
The race setback followed Lewis Hamilton’s penalty in qualifying for impeding Oscar Piastri. Having originally secured second place, the Ferrari driver was moved back three grid positions and therefore started the Grand Prix from fifth.
Lewis Hamilton receives third consecutive race penalty
The Hungarian Grand Prix marked the third successive race in which Lewis Hamilton received a five-second time penalty. At the Belgian Grand Prix, he was penalised for causing a first-lap collision with George Russell, while a false start resulted in another five-second sanction at Silverstone.
Lewis Hamilton’s Spa weekend had also included a difficult Ferrari pit stop. The British driver made contact with a mechanic who was attempting to adjust his front wing, although he escaped a sporting penalty for an unsafe release on that occasion.
The latest sanction added to Ferrari’s broader frustration in Hungary, where promising pace ultimately produced fourth and fifth positions rather than a podium. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur later acknowledged that multiple elements had gone wrong for Ferrari during the race.
Despite the setback, Lewis Hamilton retains second place in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings heading into the summer break. However, championship leader Kimi Antonelli has now extended his advantage over the Ferrari driver to 60 points.
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