Lewis Hamilton believes that the third pit 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 events, he argued that the stop itself was the catalyst for the infraction. 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 problem. Under VSC conditions, the field is required to slow to a prescribed speed, creating a brief window where teams sometimes elect to pit without losing as much track position as they would under normal racing speed.
Ferrari elected to bring Hamilton in for a third tyre change while the VSC was active. However, the decision backfired. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen chose to stay out, gaining an immediate advantage and moving ahead of Hamilton. When Hamilton rejoined the circuit, he found himself behind his title rival Kimi Antonelli, who had already completed his own pit stop just before the VSC was introduced.
This chain of events dropped Hamilton to fourth place with only a few laps remaining. The situation deteriorated further when the stewards opened an investigation into Hamilton’s pit‑lane speed. The analysis showed that his Ferrari had exceeded the 80 km/h limit by a mere 0.1 km/h. Despite the tiny margin, the regulations are clear, and Hamilton was handed a five‑second time penalty.
The penalty was applied after the race had finished, demoting him from fourth to fifth in the official results. Hamilton’s post‑race interview with Sky Sports F1 revealed his regret. He said, "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’s been taken." He added that his tyres were still in good condition and that, had he stayed out, he likely would have retained at least third place, even if Max Verstappen remained ahead.
The pit‑lane speeding penalty was 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 at the end of Q3, which pushed him from second to fifth on the starting grid. This string of penalties follows a pattern that has emerged over the past few races: Hamilton was given a five‑second penalty for a collision with George Russell in the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, and two weeks earlier at Silverstone he was penalised for a jump‑start.
These successive penalties have had a tangible impact on his championship standing. The fifth‑place finish in Hungary allowed Kimi Antonelli to extend his lead over Hamilton to roughly 50 points as the sport entered its summer hiatus. Despite the setback, Hamilton remains Ferrari’s closest challenger and expressed optimism about the team’s prospects for the remainder of the season. He acknowledged the need to avoid further infractions, stating, "I definitely am optimistic.
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 Belgium, and now this weekend." Former driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle weighed in on the controversy, comparing the 0.1 km/h excess to a weight discrepancy in a boxing match – technically a breach, but perhaps not a decisive advantage. He explained that teams calibrate their pit‑lane speed limiters to run just under the 80 km/h threshold, often aiming for 79.9 km/h.
A marginal overshoot can be viewed as a competitive edge, prompting the stewards to enforce strict penalties even for seemingly negligible breaches. 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 will be looking to clean up his record, avoid any further penalties, and fight back for podium positions as the championship enters its decisive final phase.