Lewis Hamilton has accepted responsibility for the five-second penalty he received during the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, warning that mistakes of this kind can ultimately cost Formula 1 championships. However, the seven-time world champion also made it clear that he disagreed with Ferrari’s late decision to bring him into the pits under the Virtual Safety Car, a call he believes denied him the opportunity to retain third place.
The penalty completed a disappointing afternoon in Budapest for Ferrari, which entered the summer break with its morale falling after the unexpectedly strong performances delivered at Silverstone and Spa. Despite the Hungaroring’s slow layout and limited number of straights appearing favourable to the SF-26, Ferrari left without a podium, as reflected in the final 2026 Hungarian GP classification.
Ferrari disappoints at the Hungarian Grand Prix
The SF-26 was effectively the only front-running car to be overtaken on the circuit, although Max Verstappen’s aggressive and spectacular move was one of the race’s standout moments. Lewis Hamilton also received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane during his final stop, with the Ferrari driver exceeding the permitted limit as he entered for another tyre change.
On this occasion, it was a clear mistake attributable to Lewis Hamilton himself. He accepted responsibility for the infringement, despite remaining unconvinced by Ferrari’s decision to make the stop during the Virtual Safety Car period. The team subsequently acknowledged that its Hungarian GP tyre strategy proved costly.
Lewis Hamilton questions Ferrari’s final Hungary pit stop
“I’m absolutely convinced that we shouldn’t have made that final tyre change,” the seven-time Formula 1 world champion told Sky UK. “But the decision literally came just before the pit-lane entry and I didn’t have time to discuss it.”
“When a decision is made on the pit wall, sometimes you have to trust the call, but with hindsight my tyres were still fine. I probably would have lost ground to Verstappen, but I think I could at least have held on to third place [by staying ahead of Kimi Antonelli]. And then, yes, obviously that pit stop opened the door to the penalty I received at the end.”
The five-second pit-lane speeding penalty added to a difficult run for Lewis Hamilton, who admitted that his performances across the last three Grands Prix had included too many costly errors.
Lewis Hamilton admits mistakes can cost championships
“I’m enormously grateful to the team because they have done a truly great job in this first half of the season, and I think the last three races haven’t been my best,” Lewis Hamilton admitted. “There have been a lot of mistakes. The one at Silverstone cost me dearly and then, obviously, there was the latest race as well.”
“So yes, a lot of penalties, so many penalties over the last three races, but I have to work hard to avoid giving them the opportunity to give me any more penalties.”
Speaking separately to Canal+, Lewis Hamilton delivered an even more severe assessment of his recent performances and the possible consequences for his championship ambitions.
“Over the last three races, I’ve made mistakes that have cost me dearly,” he said. “And these are the mistakes that can make you lose championships. If I continue like this, I won’t win anything anymore.”
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