Lewis Hamilton believes that the third stop he made during the Hungarian Grand Prix was superfluous and that it essentially "opened the door" to the costly penalty he later received for exceeding the pit‑lane speed limit. While acknowledging that the infringement was ultimately his responsibility, he also pointed out that a series of recent mistakes have contributed to his string of penalties. 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 at the side of the track with a technical failure.
Under VSC conditions, the field is required to slow to a prescribed speed, creating a window that teams sometimes use to execute a pit stop with minimal time loss. Ferrari elected to bring Hamilton into the pits for a third time while the cars were circulating at the reduced VSC speed. The strategy, however, backfired.
While Hamilton was in the pit lane, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen chose to stay out, gaining track position. When Hamilton rejoined the race, he found himself behind Verstappen and, shortly after, he was forced to drop behind his title rival Kimi Antonelli, who had pitted just before the VSC was activated. The sequence of events demoted Hamilton to fourth place with only a few laps remaining. The situation grew worse when the stewards opened an investigation into Hamilton’s pit‑lane speed.
The analysis revealed that his Ferrari had exceeded the 80 kph limit by a marginal 0.1 kph. The penalty was a five‑second time addition, which was applied after the chequered flag. That extra time pushed Hamilton down another spot, leaving him in fifth place behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who had not been penalised. 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.” He explained that the call to pit came literally at the last moment, just before the pit‑lane entry, leaving him no opportunity to debate the decision.
“You have to trust the call that’s been made,” he said, adding that his tyres were still in good condition and that, in hindsight, he could have maintained at least third place. “Instead, it opened the door to the penalty I got in the end.” This penalty marks Hamilton’s second stewards’ sanction in as many days at the Hungaroring. Earlier in the weekend, he received a three‑place grid drop for impeding Oscar Piastri during the final qualifying session, which knocked him from second to fifth on the Sunday grid.
Prior to Hungary, Hamilton had already served five‑second penalties in the two preceding races. In Belgium, he was penalised for a collision with George Russell on the opening lap, and at Silverstone he received the same sanction for a jump‑start.
The cumulative effect of these penalties has been reflected in the championship standings. Hamilton’s fifth‑place finish in Hungary allowed Antonelli to extend his lead over the British driver, creating a 50‑point gap as the sport heads into its summer hiatus.
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remains the closest challenger to the Mercedes driver’s title hopes and expressed optimism about Ferrari’s prospects for the remainder of the season. He stressed the importance of avoiding further infractions, noting, “I definitely am optimistic.
I’m 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 the incident in Belgium, and now this weekend.” Martin Brundle of Sky Sports F1 offered his perspective on the pit‑lane speed limit controversy, likening a 0.1 kph breach to being “a quarter of a kilo underweight” – technically a violation, but arguably negligible in practice. He explained that teams calibrate their pit‑lane speed limiters to stay just under the 80 kph threshold, often targeting 79.8 kph, and that even a slight overshoot can trigger a fine or a penalty.
Brundle highlighted similar incidents in Monaco, where several drivers were found to have exceeded the limit by a few tenths of a second, prompting a debate about where the line should be drawn between a genuine competitive advantage and an inconsequential technical breach. 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 team will need to fine‑tune their strategy and ensure strict compliance with pit‑lane regulations if they hope to avoid further penalties that could jeopardise their championship ambitions. In summary, Hamilton’s third stop at the Hungaroring, taken under VSC conditions, proved to be a strategic misstep that not only cost him track position but also set the stage for a five‑second penalty for a marginal speed‑limit breach.
Combined with a recent grid‑drop penalty and earlier time penalties, the British seven‑time champion faces a challenging road ahead. He acknowledges the mistakes, vows to learn from them, and remains hopeful that Ferrari’s performance and a more disciplined approach will keep him in contention for the title as the season enters its final phase.