Lewis Hamilton believes the third stop he made during the Hungarian Grand Prix was needless 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 his responsibility, Hamilton also admitted that a string of recent mistakes had contributed to the situation. The sequence of events began on lap 56 when a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed after a McLaren suffered a technical failure and pulled off the racing line.
At that moment Hamilton had just inherited second place from Oscar Piastri. Seizing the opportunity presented by the reduced speeds under the VSC, Ferrari instructed Hamilton to pit for a third time. The strategy seemed logical on paper – a fresh set of tyres could protect his podium chances – but it ultimately cost him dearly.
While the field was circulating at a controlled pace, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen elected to stay out. As a result, Hamilton re‑joined the race behind Verstappen and, shortly after, found himself overtaken by his title rival Kimi Antonelli, who had completed his own pit stop just before the VSC period. By the time Hamilton was back on track, he had slipped to fourth place. The setback did not end there.
Stewards opened an investigation into Hamilton’s pit‑lane speed and quickly determined that his Ferrari had exceeded the 80 kph limit by a mere 0.1 kph. The penalty was a five‑second time addition, applied after the chequered flag. Because Hamilton could not rebuild a sufficient gap to his teammate Charles Leclerc, the sanction dropped him another place, leaving him fifth 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 went on to explain that his tyres were still in good condition and that, in hindsight, he could have maintained at least third place. "I was probably going to lose out to Max anyway, but I think I could have kept third at least.
Then I just opened up the door to the penalty I got in the end," he added. The pit‑lane speeding infraction was Hamilton’s second steward’s penalty in as many days at the Hungaroring. Earlier in the weekend he had been handed a three‑place grid drop for impeding Oscar Piastri during the final qualifying session, which relegated him from second to fifth on the Sunday grid. Prior to the Hungarian round, Hamilton had already served five‑second penalties at 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.
These successive penalties have begun to erode Hamilton’s points tally. The fifth‑place finish in Hungary allowed Antonelli to widen his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to roughly 50 points as the sport entered its summer hiatus. Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remains the closest challenger to his Mercedes teammate and expressed optimism about Ferrari’s prospects for the remainder of the season. He stressed the importance of avoiding further steward interventions: "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 the incident in Belgium, and now this weekend. I have to work hard to not give them any opportunity to hand me more penalties moving forwards." 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 noted that similar 0.1 kph breaches had sparked controversy in Monaco, where teams fine‑tune their pit‑lane limiters to stay just under the 80 kph threshold. Brundle explained that while minor overshoots may seem negligible, the governing body must draw a clear line to prevent any perceived competitive advantage. "It’s painful and it’s harsh but it’s the rules – as long as he was actually doing that speed, which they weren’t in Monaco," he said. 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, with streaming options available through NOW without a long‑term contract. Hamilton will be hoping that the next race offers a chance to rebuild momentum, avoid further penalties, and keep his championship hopes alive as the season enters its final, decisive phase.