Ferrari chaos surrounding Hamilton: penalty, mechanic run over, tactical error

Things didn’t go at all as Lewis Hamilton had imagined: the five-time Belgian Grand Prix winner finished fourth at Spa-Francorchamps following a turbulent race, but this position is not yet set in stone as an investigation by the race stewards is ongoing. But first things first.

There was contact shortly after the start between Hamilton and Russell; the Mercedes driver ended up in the gravel and had to retire, so the FIA naturally launched an investigation.

Hamilton then overtook Piastri at La Source, but the Australian fought back before Eau Rouge; the Ferrari driver had used up too much battery power.

On lap 9, Hamilton finally overtook Piastri, putting Lewis back in P4; Oscar’s car appeared to be damaged on the front right underbody.

On lap 10, the FIA announced a five-second penalty for Hamilton due to the collision with Russell.

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On lap 13, Hamilton launched another attack on Leclerc; once again, the Monegasque driver played hardball. Lewis on the radio: “I’m faster than Charles.”

Then a virtual safety car period (track marshals at Blanchimont due to debris on the track). Kimi Antonelli pitted to respond to Max’s stop; Leclerc was the new leader.

Lap 19: Leclerc 3.1 seconds ahead of Hamilton, then Piastri just ahead of Norris, followed by Antonelli 2 seconds ahead of Verstappen. At the Bus Stop chicane, Oscar let Lando past, no doubt following a radio message from the McLaren pit.

Piastri overtook Norris again; another VSC (again due to debris); Ferrari brought Leclerc into the pits, as did Hamilton, who still had a five-second penalty to serve.

Ferrari made perfect use of the VSC, as Leclerc was now behind Norris (who hadn’t pitted), but ahead of Antonelli and Verstappen.

There was a moment of shock, however, during the second Ferrari’s pit stop: Hamilton’s right front wheel knocked a mechanic to the ground; he had been there to adjust the front wing and had received the relevant instruction very late – fortunately, apart from some grazes, nothing serious happened. Lewis was immediately on the radio: “Is he okay?” – “Yes, he’s okay.”

The TV footage showed that Hamilton had received the green light to drive off from the electronic signal board, but the mechanic responsible for adjusting the front wing was still standing by the wheel; he hadn’t adjusted the wing straight away whilst his colleagues were changing the tyres.

Hamilton then radioed: “Have you adjusted the front wing?” – “No, there wasn’t time.” – “Bloody hell, I can’t turn properly.”

The FIA launched another investigation into Ferrari and Hamilton for starting the race in an unsafe condition. After the race, the Briton had to report to the race stewards to explain himself.

Hamilton on his race: “I can’t say I was surprised by the penalty for the incident with Russell, but when I look at the footage, I’d say – it was a racing incident, the sort that can happen from time to time shortly after the start.”

“Of course, it wasn’t intentional – anyone could see that. I was right behind Verstappen, and George tried his luck on the outside. Anyone who looks at the footage will see – I didn’t crash into his car. It wasn’t fair to receive a penalty for that, as I’d already been penalised enough because my car was damaged afterwards.”

“When I think about everything that’s happened this weekend, I can be satisfied with P4 – a crash in free practice, which put qualifying at risk, followed by a less-than-ideal set-up. Then the penalty during the Grand Prix and the incident in the pits as well.”