A pit-stop incident during the Belgian Grand Prix involving Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari and a team mechanic resulted in disciplinary action from race stewards. Hamilton’s car made contact with a crew member who was positioned near the right-front wheel attempting to adjust the front wing. The mechanic was not seriously injured in the collision.
Ferrari received a €30,000 fine from stewards, with €10,000 of that amount suspended for one year. The team acknowledged responsibility for the incident, citing an inappropriately timed instruction for the wing adjustment, inadequate communication between pit crew members, and the mechanic’s failure to register the green signal authorizing the car’s departure. Stewards determined the circumstances involved a complex and unusual combination of factors. No fault was attributed to Hamilton as the driver, and he was recognized as suffering a sporting disadvantage due to the delayed pit stop.
Hamilton expressed emotional reaction to the incident, drawing a connection to a 2018 accident at Bahrain in which a Ferrari mechanic sustained serious injuries. He confirmed on team radio that he was relieved to learn the mechanic involved on this occasion had not been hurt. The driver’s pit stop had already been extended by a mandatory five-second penalty assessment related to an opening-lap collision with George Russell.
Following the incident, Hamilton completed the race and finished in fourth place, which moved him to second in the Drivers’ Championship standings, though 45 points behind race winner Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton attributed his overall performance challenges to a crash during Saturday’s final practice session that damaged the car and affected its balance during qualifying, resulting in a sixth-place starting position.