The investigation into Hamilton for impeding Verstappen in Q1 has resulted in a grid penalty for the Monaco GP. Chaos ensued in the team radios between Hamilton and Riccardo Adami.
During Q1 of qualifying for the 2025 Monaco GP, Lewis Hamilton was involved in an incident now under scrutiny by the stewards, which has resulted in a penalty: the Briton impeded Max Verstappen during a flying lap at Massenet corner, the same spot where Lewis Hamilton had crashed in FP3. Intense radio exchanges followed between the pit walls and the drivers.
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 make a correction with the steering wheel to avoid the Ferrari, effectively compromising his lap.
Heated radio exchange: confusion between Lewis Hamilton and the Ferrari pit wall
What made the situation more chaotic was the radio exchange between Lewis Hamilton and his race engineer Riccardo Adami, which led to a misunderstanding.
Riccardo Adami (Ferrari): “Max is slowing down behind. Check your mirrors.”
In reality, Max Verstappen was on a flying lap and found Hamilton’s car in his path, blocking him.
Lewis Hamilton: “You said he was slowing down! Come on!!”
Max Verstappen’s team radio:
“Hey! Mate! What the **** is Lewis doing! He was in front of me and going slow…”
Hamilton had asked for confirmation that Verstappen was indeed slowing down, but the Dutchman was still pushing. The misunderstanding led to the impeding incident at the end of the Massenet climb.
FIA in action: Hamilton’s grid position changes
FIA stewards launched an official investigation for impeding, which concluded after the qualifying session. After the violation was confirmed, Lewis Hamilton was handed a three place grid penalty— a critical setback on a circuit where overtaking is nearly impossible.
