Hamilton: Ferrari wrong pit call ‘opened the door to penalty’

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari handed away a potential podium finish in the Hungarian Grand Prix result after making what he described as the wrong strategic decision under the Virtual Safety Car, a call that ultimately contributed to yet another costly penalty in a frustrating run of races.

The seven-time world champion was running second at the Hungaroring after Oscar Piastri’s McLaren retired with a gearbox problem, putting him in position for a valuable podium finish.

But the Scuderia opted to bring Hamilton into the pits during the Virtual Safety Car period, a decision that dropped him behind both Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli.

The gamble backfired further when Hamilton was handed a five-second penalty for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit by just 0.1kph. The sanction relegated him to fifth place, behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who crossed the line just 0.7 seconds ahead.

For Hamilton, the chain of events was a painful reminder of a season where opportunities have increasingly slipped away through small margins.

Ferrari call leaves Hamilton questioning gamble

Looking back at the crucial moment, Hamilton admitted he felt Ferrari’s decision to pit was unnecessary and ultimately exposed him to avoidable risk.

"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," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

"We've got to trust that there's a decision that's been taken, but in hindsight, my tyres were totally fine, and I was probably going to lose out to Max, but I think I could have kept third at least.

"It just opened the door to the penalty I got at the end."

The stop not only cost Hamilton track position but also created the circumstances for the pit-lane infringement that ended his podium hopes.

With Verstappen staying out and eventually securing second place, Hamilton was left wondering whether Ferrari had overcomplicated a situation that could have delivered a better outcome.

The penalty marked Hamilton’s third five-second punishment in three races. After a false start at Silverstone and his first-lap collision with Mercedes rival George Russell in Belgium, another small error has added further frustration to his Ferrari transition season.

Hamilton admits recent mistakes have piled up

While critical of the strategic decision, the F1 veteran also accepted responsibility for the mistakes that have contributed to his recent run of difficult weekends.

"I think the last three races for me have not been great. Lots of mistakes, a mistake in Silverstone that cost dearly, and then obviously in the last race as well,” he said.

"So a lot of penalties in the last three races, so I've got to go to work hard to not give them the opportunity to give me any more penalties."

The Hungarian setback came after an already difficult weekend for Hamilton, who had been dropped from second to fifth on the grid after being penalised for impeding Piastri during qualifying.

Ferrari’s strategic choice also sparked debate over whether the team reacted too quickly during the Virtual Safety Car period.

Although Hamilton acknowledged the need to trust his team, his comments highlighted the growing pressure on Ferrari to make cleaner decisions in critical moments.

A harsh penalty, but rules remain rules

The severity of Hamilton’s penalty also attracted discussion, with Sky Sports F1 analyst Martin Brundle describing the sanction as harsh while accepting that Formula 1’s regulations require clear boundaries.

“It’s like being a quarter of a kilo underweight. You’re going to feel aggrieved, but the rules are the rules in that respect,” Brundle said.

The former F1 driver pointed to previous pit-lane speed controversies and explained why officials cannot allow small breaches to become subjective.

“Where my alarm bells are going off is in Monaco, where a lot of drivers there were getting this 0.1 [over the speed limit], and then of course we had all the shenanigans after the race.

“They set their pit limiters throughout the weekend, they aim at 59 and a bit if its a 60kp/h limit, or 79 and a bit. They really fine-tune it. We see a lot of penalties on a Friday, a few hungered euros for going over the pit lane speed limit.

“But it’s perceived as a competitive advantage, and when you see how close those lines are with Antonelli for example, if somebody goes ‘0.1’s alright, so 0.3’s alright’ then suddenly you get ahead.

“So there has to be a cut-off point. Whether it’s the width of the car, the weight of the car, the speed of the car in the pit lane.

“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.”

Hungarian Grand Prix - Race results

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