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. He admitted that the sanction was, in part, a consequence of the series of errors he has been making in recent outings. The incident unfolded after Hamilton had inherited second place from Oscar Piastri when a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed on lap 56.
The VSC was triggered because a McLaren car had come to a halt on the side of the track with a technical fault. Under VSC conditions the field runs at a reduced, controlled speed, which often creates a strategic window for teams to pit without losing as much track position as they would under normal racing speed.
Ferrari elected to bring Hamilton in for his third tyre change while the cars were circulating at the VSC‑mandated speed. Unfortunately for the Briton, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen chose to stay out, preserving his track position, and when Hamilton re‑joined the race he found himself behind Verstappen. The situation worsened further when he emerged behind his title‑rival at Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli, who had already completed his own pit stop just before the VSC was activated. As a result, Hamilton slipped to fourth place with only a few laps remaining.
The trouble did not end there. Shortly after re‑entering the track, stewards opened an investigation into Hamilton’s pit‑lane speed. The data showed that his Ferrari had exceeded the 80 kph limit by a mere 0.1 kph, prompting a five‑second time penalty. The penalty was applied after the chequered flag, demoting Hamilton to fifth place in the official results.
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 – you have to trust the decision that’s been taken." He added that his tyres were still in good condition and that, although he expected to lose ground to Verstappen, he could at least have held onto third place. Instead, the extra stop "opened up the door" to the penalty that ultimately cost him a podium finish. This penalty marked Hamilton’s second stewards’ sanction in as many days at the Hungaroring.
The day before, he had been handed a three‑place grid drop for impeding Oscar Piastri at the end of Q3, which pushed him from second to fifth on the starting grid. Prior to the Hungarian round, Hamilton had already served five‑second penalties in the two preceding races: one in Belgium for a first‑lap collision with George Russell, and another at Silverstone for a jump‑start. The cumulative effect of these penalties was evident in the championship standings. Hamilton’s fifth‑place finish meant he fell further behind Antonelli in the drivers’ championship, with the Italian now enjoying a 50‑point lead as the sport entered its summer hiatus.
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remained optimistic about the remainder of the season. He praised the Mercedes team for their work in the first half of the year, but acknowledged that the recent string of mistakes – including the costly error at Silverstone, the incident in Belgium, and the ill‑timed pit stop in Hungary – had taken a toll.
"I definitely am optimistic," he said. "I am massively grateful to the team because they have really done a great job in this first half. The last three races have not been great – lots of mistakes. A mistake at Silverstone that cost dearly, then obviously in Belgium, and now this weekend." Former driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle weighed in, likening the situation to being "a quarter of a kilo underweight" – frustrating, but ultimately governed by the rulebook.
He explained that the pit‑lane speed limit is tightly regulated, with teams setting their limiters just below the 80 kph threshold. Brundle noted that even a 0.1 kph excess can trigger a penalty, and while some argue that a small overrun offers a competitive edge, the regulations draw a hard line to ensure fairness. He referenced similar controversy in Monaco, where several drivers were penalised for marginally exceeding the limit, highlighting the fine balance between engineering precision and regulatory enforcement. Looking ahead, the Formula 1 calendar will resume 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, he says, is to avoid further penalties and to extract maximum performance from the Mercedes package for the remaining races, hoping to close the gap to his rivals and keep his championship hopes alive.