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. The seven‑time world champion admitted that the sanction was, in part, a consequence of a string of mistakes he has made in recent events, and he reflected on how a different strategic choice might have altered his finishing position. The incident unfolded on lap 56 when a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed after a McLaren car suffered a technical failure and stopped on the side of the track.
At that moment Hamilton had just inherited second place from Oscar Piastri, who had been forced to give up his position earlier in the race. With the field circulating at a reduced speed under VSC conditions, Ferrari elected to bring Hamilton in for a third tyre change. The decision proved controversial because Red Bull’s Max Verstappen chose to stay out, gaining track position while Hamilton was in the pits. When Hamilton rejoined the race, 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 handful of laps remaining. The situation worsened when the stewards opened an investigation into his pit‑lane speed. The data showed that his Ferrari had exceeded the 80 km/h limit by a mere 0.1 km/h, prompting a five‑second time penalty that was applied after the chequered flag. Because Hamilton could not build a five‑second buffer over his teammate Charles Leclerc, the penalty pushed him further down the order.
By the time the penalty was enforced, he had fallen behind the sister Ferrari and finished the race in fifth place. In the post‑race interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton expressed clear regret about the decision to pit under the VSC.
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 has been taken.
In hindsight, my tyres were totally fine. 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." The penalty for exceeding the pit‑lane speed limit was 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 had already moved him from a front‑row start to fifth on the grid. Prior to the Hungarian weekend, Hamilton had also served five‑second penalties in the two preceding races: one in Belgium for a collision with George Russell on the opening lap, and another at Silverstone for a jump‑start. Those consecutive penalties have begun to erode his points haul, allowing Antonelli to open a 50‑point lead in the Drivers' Championship 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, acknowledging that the last three races had been marred by errors. "I am massively grateful to the team because they have really done a great job in this first half," he said. "I think the last three races have not been great.
Lots of mistakes. A mistake at Silverstone that cost dearly, then obviously in Belgium as well, and then this weekend." Former driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle weighed in on the controversy surrounding the 0.1 km/h breach.
He likened the situation to being "a quarter of a kilo underweight"—a small infraction that still triggers a penalty because the regulations are clear. Brundle noted that teams often set their pit‑lane speed limiters just below the 80 km/h threshold, aiming for 79.9 km/h to avoid any breach.
He explained that while a 0.1 km/h excess may seem trivial, the sport treats any deviation as a potential competitive advantage, and the stewards are obligated to enforce the rule consistently. Looking ahead, the Formula 1 calendar resumes after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, scheduled for 21‑23 August. Hamilton indicated that he must avoid further infractions if he hopes to keep his championship hopes alive.
"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 pit stop under the Virtual Safety Car, which he now views as unnecessary, set off a chain of events that led to a loss of track position, a five‑second penalty for a marginal speed‑limit breach, and ultimately a fifth‑place finish. The episode underscores how split‑second strategic decisions and strict adherence to technical regulations can dramatically influence a driver’s result in modern Formula 1. Hamilton’s reflections suggest that a more conservative approach—staying out on his existing tyres and trusting his pace—might have preserved his podium chances and avoided the penalty that compounded his recent string of stewards’ sanctions.