Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Formula 1 stewards are examining concerns about penalty consistency following discussions over his recent sanctions. The Ferrari driver received three five-second time penalties and a three-place grid drop across the British, Belgian and Hungarian Grand Prix weekends, with several of those decisions having a direct impact on his results.
Although Hamilton accepted ultimate responsibility for the incidents, he maintained that penalties have not always been applied consistently. The seven-time world champion particularly questioned the sanctions imposed at Silverstone and Spa, while acknowledging his own role in the qualifying incident involving Oscar Piastri in Hungary.
Lewis Hamilton discusses inconsistent F1 penalties
Hamilton’s run of sanctions began at the British Grand Prix, where he was given a five-second penalty for a false start. His Ferrari moved briefly before the starting lights went out, although he did not leave his grid box or fully jump the start. Despite the penalty, the Briton went on to finish third at Silverstone.
Speaking to media, including ScuderiaFans.com, Lewis Hamilton admitted that the initial movement had been his mistake. However, he explained that drivers had raised the inconsistent treatment of similar incidents during a briefing.
According to Hamilton, other competitors had moved before the start in the past without being penalised. The discussion centred on the position that a driver should avoid a sanction if the car was stationary while the lights were illuminated and had not left its grid box. He indicated that the stewards agreed with that interpretation and were examining the matter.
George Russell viewed Spa collision as a racing incident
Another five-second penalty followed at Spa-Francorchamps, where Hamilton made contact with George Russell on the opening lap. The stewards found the Ferrari driver responsible for causing the collision, but Russell himself considered it a racing incident and did not believe a sanction was necessary.
Hamilton served the penalty during a well-timed Virtual Safety Car period and recovered to finish fourth. Nevertheless, he argued that the sanction had been unnecessary and had cost him a significant number of points.
The contrasting assessment from the driver involved in the collision strengthened Hamilton’s concern about how such incidents are judged. While competitors do not decide whether penalties should be issued, Russell’s view showed that he did not regard the contact as deserving punishment.
Two Hungary penalties complete difficult three-race sequence
The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend brought two further sanctions. During qualifying, Hamilton impeded Oscar Piastri at Turn 1 and received a three-place grid penalty, dropping from second to fifth on the starting grid.
The British driver acknowledged that he should have checked his mirrors and accepted responsibility for the incident. However, he also explained that he had expected every driver to be completing the opening lap of the qualifying sequence by that stage. A communication error contributed to him being unaware of Piastri’s approach.
The race then produced Hamilton’s third five-second time penalty in as many Grand Prix weekends. He exceeded the pit-lane speed limit by only 0.1 km/h, resulting in a five-second Hungarian GP sanction.
Hamilton crossed the line fourth but was reclassified fifth behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc once the penalty was applied. The result completed Ferrari’s fourth-and-fifth-place finish at the Hungaroring and added another costly setback to a weekend in which the Scuderia had expected to fight for victory.
Hamilton accepts responsibility despite stewards concerns
Despite questioning the consistency and necessity of some decisions, Hamilton did not attempt to avoid responsibility for his part in the incidents. He characterised his performances over the two weekends before Hungary as poor from his side and accepted that the qualifying obstruction could have been prevented by checking his mirrors.
His broader concern was instead focused on whether comparable incidents have consistently produced comparable punishments. The Silverstone discussions suggested that the stewards were prepared to review how pre-start movement is handled, while the Spa collision remained contentious because George Russell regarded it as ordinary racing contact.
Across the three weekends, the combination of penalties affected Hamilton’s grid position, final classifications and points return. Hungary proved particularly damaging, with the qualifying demotion followed by the marginal pit-lane speeding offence as part of a difficult weekend of execution for Ferrari.
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