Hamilton penalty for unsafe pit release confirmed

(opens in a new tab)Sign InSubscribeF1ScheduleResultsStandingsDriversTeamsF1 UnlockedOpen menuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-penalty-for-unsafe-pit-release-in-belgian-grand-prix-confirmed.p8ItnzotleVFVAU50e08T.p8ItnzotleVFVAU50e08T"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-penalty-for-unsafe-pit-release-in-belgian-grand-prix-confirmed.p8ItnzotleVFVAU50e08T","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-penalty-for-unsafe-pit-release-in-belgian-grand-prix-confirmed.p8ItnzotleVFVAU50e08T","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-penalty-for-unsafe-pit-release-in-belgian-grand-prix-confirmed.p8ItnzotleVFVAU50e08T","datePublished":"2026-07-19T17:23:51.495Z","dateModified":"2026-07-19T17:23:51.495Z","headline":"Lewis Hamilton penalty for unsafe pit release in 2026 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix confirmed","author":"F1","description":"Ferrari have been fined following the incident at Lewis Hamilton's pit stop in the Belgian Grand Prix.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9Centre/f_auto/q_auto/v1784390026/trackside-images/2026/F1_Grand_Prix_of_Belgium___Qualifying/2286643427.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Lewis HamiltonFerrariBelgiumShow more tagsHamilton penalty for unsafe pit release in Belgian Grand Prix confirmedFerrari have been fined following the incident at Lewis Hamilton's pit stop in the Belgian Grand Prix. Ferrari have been fined following an incident during the Belgian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton knocked down a mechanic as he was unsafely released from his pit box. On Lap 20 of Sunday's race the Ferrari driver – carrying a five-second penalty at the time following his first-lap contact with Mercedes' George Russell – pitted under the Virtual Safety Car that had been deployed. Having waited five seconds to serve his penalty, all four tyres were subsequently changed on Hamilton's car. However, a mechanic operating a front wing tool moved forward into the path of the car's front-right tyre as Hamilton was released from his stop. As a result the mechanic was struck and fell to the floor, with Hamilton immediately stopping until the mechanic was clear. He was not injured in the incident. Following the conclusion of the Belgian Grand Prix, the Stewards subsequently investigated the unsafe release and decided to hand Ferrari a fine of €30,000 of which €10,000 is suspended for 12 months. "As Car 44 was being released from its pit stop, a mechanic stepped in the path of the front right tyre as the F1 Car moved forward," read the Stewards' document. "He fell but was not injured. "The team explained the incident occurred in the context of a complex and unusual combination of circumstances. HAM had been issued a 5 second time penalty for a driving infringement which had to be served before work could commence on the F1 Car. LEC was in his pit box at the point HAM entered the pit lane. HAM told his engineer that he wanted a front wing adjustment but that was not conveyed to the super controller. "HAM came into his pit box, served the time penalty and at the end of the 5 seconds one member of the team announced “Go” and then “0.6 degrees”, the former being an instruction to commence the pit stop and the latter being an instruction for a wing adjustment. "The tyre change was completed, the jack-man dropped the F1 Car and the super controller activated the green light signal for Car 44 to move off. Just as the driver moved off, another mechanic with a front wing tool moved forward into the path of the front right tyre. Before he stepped forward he had his head down looking at the tool and did not see the green light. "The team acknowledged that for Car 44 to have been released in these circumstances was unsafe and attributed the error to an inappropriately late instruction for the wing adjustment, a lack of clear communication and the mechanic’s failure to notice the green light. The team committed to undertaking a review of their pit stop procedures to ensure an incident such as this will not be repeated." The Stewards' also confirmed that Hamilton was not at fault and that the incident did "not justify a sporting penalty" but "did justify a significant fine." The suspended portion of the fine is on condition that Ferrari "does not commit a similar infringement" in the 12 month time span and on further condition that Ferrari submit a report to the FIA with regard to the incident and the protocols introduced to mitigate the risk of an incident occurring in the future. Download the Official F1 AppYour ultimate companion into
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