Lewis Hamilton believes that the third stop he made during the Hungarian Grand Prix was unnecessary and that it essentially "opened the door" to the costly penalty he later received for exceeding the pit‑lane speed limit. While he accepted responsibility for the sanction, noting that he has made "a lot of mistakes" in recent races, he also argued that the extra pit stop was the catalyst for the chain of events that led to his five‑second time penalty. The incident unfolded on lap 56 when a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed after a McLaren suffered a technical failure and stopped on the side of the track.
At that moment Hamilton had just inherited second place from Oscar Piastri. Ferrari saw an opportunity to change tyres under the controlled‑speed conditions of the VSC and instructed Hamilton to pit for a third time. The decision, however, proved detrimental. While the VSC kept the field moving at a reduced pace, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen chose not to pit and therefore gained track position as Hamilton entered the pits.
When Hamilton re‑joined the circuit, he found himself behind Verstappen and, shortly thereafter, behind his title rival Kimi Antonelli, who had completed his own pit stop just before the VSC was activated. The loss of position dropped Hamilton to fourth place with only a few laps remaining. Compounding the problem, the stewards opened an investigation into Hamilton’s pit‑lane speed.
The analysis showed that his Ferrari had exceeded the 80 kph limit by a mere 0.1 kph, prompting the officials to hand him a five‑second penalty. Because the penalty was applied after the chequered flag, Hamilton’s final classification slipped from fourth to fifth, as he could not build a sufficient buffer over his teammate Charles Leclerc.
The penalty also meant he finished behind the sister Ferrari, further eroding his points haul for the weekend. When asked by Sky Sports F1 whether he regretted pitting under the VSC, Hamilton answered unequivocally: "Yeah, I definitely don't think we should have taken the stop. The call came literally just before the pit lane entry and I didn't have time to debate it, so you have to trust the decision that has been taken." He added that his tyres were still in good condition and that, in hindsight, he could have maintained at least third place.
"I was probably going to lose out to Max, but I think I could have kept third at least. Then just opened up the door to obviously the penalty that I got in the end," he said.
The penalty was Hamilton’s second stewards’ sanction in as many days at the Hungaroring. Earlier in the weekend he had been handed a three‑place grid drop for impeding Oscar Piastri at the end of Q3, which demoted him from second to fifth on the Sunday grid. Prior to the Hungarian race, Hamilton had already served five‑second penalties in the two preceding Grand Prix events.
In Belgium, he was penalised for a first‑lap collision with George Russell, and at Silverstone he received the same sanction for a jump‑start. Those consecutive penalties have taken a toll on his championship standing, allowing Antonelli to open a 50‑point lead over the Briton as the sport entered its summer hiatus. Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remains Mercedes’ closest challenger and expressed optimism about Ferrari’s prospects for the remainder of the season. He acknowledged that avoiding further penalties will be essential if he hopes to stay in the title fight.
"I definitely am optimistic," he told Sky Sports. "I am massively grateful to the team because they have really done a great job in this first half.
I think the last three races have not been great – lots of mistakes. A mistake at Silverstone that cost dearly, then obviously in Belgium, and then this weekend." Former driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle weighed in on the controversy surrounding pit‑lane speed limits. He likened the situation to being "a quarter of a kilo underweight" – frustrating but ultimately governed by the rulebook.
Brundle noted that in Monaco drivers were regularly caught just 0.1 kph over the limit, leading to a series of fines and penalties. He explained that teams calibrate their pit‑lane speed limiters to stay just under 80 kph, often targeting 79.9 kph, and that even a small excess can be perceived as a competitive advantage. "It’s painful and it’s harsh but it’s the rules – as long as he was actually doing that speed, which they weren’t in Monaco," Brundle said.
Looking ahead, the Formula 1 calendar resumes after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, scheduled for 21‑23 August. All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and fans can stream the coverage via NOW without a long‑term contract. Hamilton’s focus will be on delivering clean, penalty‑free races and extracting maximum performance from his Mercedes, while Ferrari will aim to capitalize on the momentum they have built.
Both drivers know that the margins are razor‑thin and that every decision – from a pit stop under a VSC to the precise calibration of a pit‑lane speed limiter – can have championship‑defining consequences.