Lewis Hamilton believes 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. The seven‑time world champion admitted that the sanction was, in part, a consequence of a string of mistakes he has made in recent races, but he also stressed that the decision to pit under the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was rushed and ultimately detrimental to his result.
The incident unfolded on lap 56 when a McLaren suffered a technical failure and stopped on the side of the track, prompting race control to deploy a VSC. At that moment Hamilton, who had just inherited second place from Oscar Piastri, was instructed by the Mercedes pit wall to take a third set of tyres.
While the rest of the field slowed to the mandated VSC speed, Ferrari elected to bring Hamilton in, hoping to gain a strategic edge. However, the timing of the stop proved unlucky.
Max Verstappen, who chose to stay out, maintained his track position and moved ahead of Hamilton as the Briton rejoined the race. The situation grew worse when Hamilton emerged from the pits and found himself immediately behind his title rival Kimi Antonelli, who had already completed his own pit stop just before the VSC was activated.
The loss of track position forced Hamilton down to fourth place, and with only a handful of laps remaining he was unable to mount a serious comeback. Complicating matters further, the stewards opened an investigation into Hamilton's pit‑lane speed. The data showed his Ferrari‑powered Mercedes had exceeded the 80 kph limit by a mere 0.1 kph, prompting a five‑second time penalty. Because the infraction occurred after the race had finished, the penalty was applied to the final classification, demoting Hamilton from fourth to fifth place behind Antonelli's Ferrari.
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 went on to explain that his tyres were still in good condition and that, in hindsight, he could have stayed in third place if he had stayed out. "I was probably going to lose out to Max, but I think I could have kept third at least. Then it just opened up the door to obviously the penalty that I got in the end." 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 pushed him from second to fifth on the starting grid. Prior to Hungary, Hamilton had already served five‑second penalties in the two preceding races: a time penalty in Belgium for a first‑lap collision with George Russell, and another five‑second penalty at Silverstone for a jump‑start. Those successive penalties have begun to erode his points haul, allowing Antonelli to open a 50‑point lead in the Drivers' Championship as the sport heads into its summer hiatus. Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remains Mercedes' most consistent challenger and expressed optimism about the remainder of the season, particularly regarding Ferrari's performance.
"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. 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 now this weekend." Martin Brundle of Sky Sports F1 weighed in on the pit‑lane speed issue, likening it to being "a quarter of a kilo underweight" – a small but significant disadvantage that the regulations must address. He noted that many drivers in Monaco had been caught marginally over the limit, often by as little as 0.1 kph, and that teams fine‑tune their pit‑lane speed limiters to stay just under the 80 kph threshold. Brundle argued that while a 0.1 kph breach may seem trivial, the cumulative effect can provide a competitive edge, and the stewards must enforce a clear cut‑off to maintain fairness.
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 acknowledged that he must avoid further penalties if he hopes to stay in contention for the championship. "So a lot of penalties in the last three races, so I've got to work hard to not give them any opportunity to give me any more penalties moving forwards," he said.
In summary, Hamilton's third stop at the Hungaroring, taken under the pressure of a VSC and a rapidly changing race environment, proved to be a strategic misstep that not only cost him track position but also set the stage for a pit‑lane speed infringement. The five‑second penalty dropped him to fifth in the final results, widened the gap to his title rivals, and added to a growing list of recent steward interventions. As the season moves into its final phase, Hamilton and Mercedes will need to balance aggressive strategy with strict compliance to avoid further costly penalties and keep their championship hopes alive.