The FIA stewards have explained why Lewis Hamilton received a five-second penalty for his opening-lap collision with George Russell at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, despite finding the Ferrari driver wholly at fault. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, faced no further action after making contact with Oscar Piastri during a separate battle at Spa-Francorchamps.
The two Ferrari drivers were investigated during the race for incidents at Turn 5. While the stewards concluded that Lewis Hamilton had caused the collision that ended George Russell’s race, several mitigating circumstances persuaded them to reduce the usual sanction from ten seconds to five. In Charles Leclerc’s case, they decided that the Monegasque had not deliberately crowded Oscar Piastri off the circuit.
The decisions provided the final explanation behind the two investigations involving Ferrari during the Belgian Grand Prix. The stewards assessed video footage and onboard recordings, while team radio evidence was also considered in the Lewis Hamilton case.
Lewis Hamilton’s Belgian GP penalty explained
George Russell attempted to overtake Lewis Hamilton around the outside as the two drivers approached Turn 5 on the opening lap. According to the stewards, the Mercedes had established enough overlap to be entitled to racing room, while Lewis Hamilton remained on the inside line.
Explaining their decision, the stewards stated:
“As the cars approached Turn 5 on the opening lap, Car 63 attempted to overtake Car 44 around the outside and had established sufficient overlap to be entitled to space on the track. Car 44 remained on the inside.
“During the corner, Car 44 suffered from understeer and, despite attempting to avoid Car 63 by applying corrective steering, made contact with the right-hand side of Car 63 using its left-front wheel. The stewards determined that Car 63 remained within the available track space and that the collision occurred because Car 44 was unable to maintain sufficient separation.”
The contact eliminated George Russell from the race, while Lewis Hamilton was able to continue. Ferrari initially checked whether the SF-26 had sustained damage before the incident was formally placed under investigation.
Why Lewis Hamilton received five seconds instead of ten
Although Lewis Hamilton was judged to be entirely responsible for the collision, the stewards did not believe his actions had been aggressive or deliberate. They recognised that he knew George Russell was alongside, attempted to provide space and made a genuine effort to avoid the contact once the front of the Ferrari began to slide.
The written decision continued:
“The stewards recognise several mitigating circumstances. Car 44 acknowledged the presence of Car 63, attempted to leave the necessary racing room and made a genuine effort to avoid contact. The collision resulted from a loss of front-end grip rather than an aggressive or deliberate manoeuvre.
“It was also recognised that the incident occurred on the opening lap, when grip levels were reduced and the available racing space was compressed.
“For those reasons, although Car 44 was wholly at fault for the collision, the stewards considered a five-second time penalty, rather than the standard ten-second penalty, to be the appropriate sanction under the FIA Penalty Guidelines.”
Lewis Hamilton therefore received a five-second time penalty rather than the standard ten-second sanction. The stewards’ reasoning distinguished responsibility for causing the collision from any suggestion that the Ferrari driver had intentionally forced the issue.
Charles Leclerc cleared after contact with Oscar Piastri
Charles Leclerc was investigated following a separate incident with Oscar Piastri, again on the approach to Turn 5. The McLaren driver moved to the outside of the Ferrari and achieved partial overlap, but his front axle was not ahead of Charles Leclerc’s front axle.
The stewards concluded that Oscar Piastri was not in a position from which he could realistically complete the overtake. Their decision stated:
“On the approach to Turn 5, Car 81 moved to the outside to overtake Car 16. Car 81 had some overlap with Car 16, but the front axle of Car 81 was not ahead of the front axle of Car 16 and there was no possibility of Car 81 completing the overtake from that position.”
The two cars then made side-to-side contact as Charles Leclerc moved slightly towards the left to prepare his entry into the corner. Crucially, the stewards found no evidence that the Ferrari driver had deliberately attempted to push Oscar Piastri beyond the edge of the circuit.
“In the stewards’ assessment, Car 16 did not deliberately crowd Car 81 off the track. Car 16 followed the racing line before the entry to Turn 5, moving slightly towards the left to open up the corner, and side-to-side contact occurred between the two cars.
“Given the circumstances, the stewards determined that no further action should be taken.”
Two different decisions for the Ferrari drivers
The decisive distinction between the incidents was the position of the attacking car and the amount of racing room to which it was entitled. George Russell had established sufficient overlap alongside Lewis Hamilton, whereas Oscar Piastri’s front axle had not moved ahead of Charles Leclerc’s before their contact.
Lewis Hamilton was therefore held responsible but received a reduced penalty because of the recognised mitigating circumstances. Charles Leclerc was cleared completely, with the stewards deciding that he had followed the normal racing line rather than intentionally forcing the McLaren off the circuit.
The rulings concluded two of the main sporting investigations from a Spa weekend in which FIA procedures had already attracted attention following the confusion surrounding the Belgian GP yellow-flag instructions.
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