Ferrari has officially been fined €10,000 for two tyre return infringements involving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the Belgian Grand Prix. The stewards imposed separate €5,000 penalties for the two cars after tyre sets declared electronically as returned following FP1 were not physically handed back before FP2.
The decision confirms that Ferrari will face only a financial penalty, with no sporting sanction or grid punishment for either driver. The unusual procedural error brought Friday’s running at Spa-Francorchamps to a complicated conclusion for the Maranello team.
FIA investigates Ferrari tyre return procedure at Spa
The matter emerged after the second free practice session. In a document published at 18:21, the FIA referred a possible Ferrari infringement to the Belgian Grand Prix stewards concerning several tyre sets used by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton during FP1.
The technical delegate’s document stated: “Following FP1, Scuderia Ferrari electronically returned two sets of dry-weather tyres (sets 16-301 and 16-401) for Car 16 in accordance with Articles B6.4.1 and B6.3.8 a) iii). However, the respective tyres were not physically returned to the Supplier before FP2. This constitutes non-compliance with Article B6.4.2.”
The same error involved the other Ferrari driven by Lewis Hamilton, resulting in a second referral under the same regulation. Ferrari had completed the electronic part of the return procedure but failed to physically deliver the relevant tyres to the designated supplier within the required timeframe.
The initial FIA referral and the possibility of a fine were detailed in the earlier report on Ferrari’s Belgian GP tyre return breach.
Previous cases pointed towards financial penalty
Ferrari’s infringement was unusual, but it was not without precedent in recent Formula 1 history. Williams committed a similar breach during the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, while Haas was involved in another case in Hungary one year later.
Williams received a €1,000 fine. Haas was penalised €5,000 for each of two separate infringements, bringing its total fine to €10,000.
Based on those precedents, paddock observers expected Ferrari to receive a financial sanction rather than a more serious sporting punishment. The final amount depended on the stewards’ assessment of the incident and any mitigating circumstances or explanations submitted by the team.
Ferrari receives two €5,000 fines at Belgian GP
As expected, the stewards fined Ferrari for the two FP1 infringements relating to the tyre return procedure. The punishment mirrors the one imposed on Haas at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix: two separate fines of €5,000, producing a total penalty of €10,000.
The decision closes the investigation without affecting Lewis Hamilton’s or Charles Leclerc’s position for the remainder of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. It nevertheless represents an avoidable operational error during a Friday on which Ferrari was already working through a demanding technical programme.
Lewis Hamilton finished second in the opening Belgian GP practice session, with Charles Leclerc third. Ferrari then lost ground during the afternoon, as Lewis Hamilton placed fourth and Charles Leclerc 11th in the Spa FP2 classification.
Ferrari can now focus entirely on improving the SF-26 before qualifying, having escaped any sporting consequences from the tyre return mistake. The only confirmed sanction is the €10,000 financial penalty payable to the FIA.
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