During Q1 of the 2025 Monaco GP Qualifying, Lewis Hamilton was involved in an incident now under scrutiny by the stewards and risks a penalty: the English driver impeded Max Verstappen during a flying lap at the Massenet corner, the same spot where Lewis Hamilton crashed in FP3.
The Red Bull driver found Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari ahead of him, moving slowly on the racing line. Onboard footage clearly shows Max Verstappen having to steer to avoid the Ferrari, compromising his lap.
Radio chaos: confusion between Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari pit wall
Adding to the chaos was the radio exchange between Hamilton and his engineer Riccardo Adami, which caused misunderstandings.
Hamilton’s team radio:
Riccardo Adami (Ferrari): “Max is slowing behind. Check your mirrors.”
Lewis Hamilton: “You said he was slowing! Come on!!”
Max Verstappen’s team radio:
“Hey! Mate! What the hell is Lewis doing! He was in front of me moving slowly…”
Lewis Hamilton asked for confirmation that Max Verstappen was really slowing, but the Dutch driver was still pushing. The misunderstanding caused the impeding at the corner at the end of the Massenet climb.
FIA investigation underway: grid penalty risk for Lewis Hamilton
FIA stewards have launched an official investigation for impeding, which will conclude after qualifying. If a violation is found, Hamilton could receive a grid penalty, a critical scenario on a track where overtaking is nearly impossible.
The decision is expected in the coming hours and could change the starting grid for the 2025 Monaco GP.
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