Hamilton handed three-place grid drop for block on Verstappen

Communication issues at Ferrari have resulted in Lewis Hamilton being handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen during Qualifying, dropping the Ferrari driver to P7 for tonight’s Monaco Grand Prix spectacle.

Traffic interferences have been a commonality across the first two days of running in the Principality, with Hamilton and Verstappen’s near run-in during the first stage of Qualifying just another example of the challenge posed by the constraints of the narrow Circuit de Monaco.

Radioed in anticipation of Verstappen’s fast-paced arrival, Hamilton was informed by his race engineer that Verstappen was “pushing”, though “already slowing behind” as they travelled up the hill to Turn 3.

When the Red Bull arrived at the entry to Massenet at full speed, however, the message from the Ferrari pit wall proved to be incorrect, with the Dutchman forced to abort his flying lap due to the slow-moving #44 on the racing line.

“You said he was slowing down, it’s… f*** sake, man!” Hamilton said in anger.

Meanwhile, Verstappen had some choice words of his own, saying: “F***! Wow, great. F****** Lewis […] Massive impeding that.”

The Stewards noted the incident and set it aside to investigate after the session which resulted in the hammer being brought down on the ill-advised Ferrari driver, however, not before the two drivers found each other in parc ferme, with Hamilton seemingly apologising and admitted fault ahead of their hearing.

Despite his remorse, the Stewards soon determined that the correct punishment for Hamilton was a three-place grid penalty for the race.

“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton), the driver of Car 1 (Max Verstappen), team representatives and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence,” the FIA official documentation read.

“Car 44 was on a slow lap and off the racing line as he was approaching Turn 2. Car 1 was approaching Car 44 on a push lap.

“The team first informed the driver of Car 44 that Car 1 was on a fast lap. Then they sent another message saying that Car 1 was ‘slowing down’ when in fact Car 1 was always on a push lap and was not ‘slowing down’ as suggested by the team.

“This resulted in Car 44 speeding up and moving into the racing line of Car 1 entering Turn 3.

“Car 1 had to react to Car 44 appearing to move into the racing line. This meant that Car 1 had to move off the usual racing line and the push lap had to be aborted by Car 1. We carefully examined the racing line taken by Car 1 in previous laps at the same area and determined that Car 44 did in fact enter the racing line that Car 1 used in previous push laps. This put it beyond doubt that Car 1 was impeded.

“The driver of Car 44 expressed his displeasure at the incorrect message from the team immediately after the incident.

“During the hearing, the fact of the team’s incorrect message leading to the incident was accepted by the driver of Car 44.

“As with previous incidents of this nature where a driver has received inaccurate or incomplete information resulting in a car impeding another, the fact that the radio message was the cause of the impeding does not amount to a mitigating factor.

“We therefore impose the standard penalty of a drop of 3 grid positions.”

As a result, Lewis Hamilton will start the Monaco Grand Prix from eighth on the grid, with his misfortune promoting Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso ahead of the 78-lap main event.

The Ferrari driver joins the likes of Lance Stroll and Ollie Bearman who have also been hit with penalties this weekend — the Haas driver being reprimanded for overtaking under Red Flag conditions while the Aston Martin driver was deemed wholly responsible for causing a collision with Charles Leclerc in the early minutes of FP1.

With a tough ask ahead of him given the lack of overtaking opportunities around the Circuit de Monaco, Hamilton’s only hope of turning his weekend around will be new addition of a mandated two-stop strategy and the potential doors that may open up.

“It’s been a demanding day, but there are plenty of positives to take,” the seven-time world champion said, prior to learning of his penalty. 

“I’m incredibly grateful to the team for getting the car back out after [the Turn 3 crash in] FP3, their effort was outstanding. 

“We got the most out of qualifying today. 

“Obviously, I’m disappointed with the final starting grid position, as I’ve been pleased with how the car has felt all weekend and the steps we’ve made. 

“The two-stop strategy will definitely add an extra layer of complexity to the race, but that also opens up opportunities. 

“The goal is to keep pushing and fight for a strong result.”

Lights out for the Monaco Grand Prix will take place at 23:00 AEST, with Lewis starting at a six-place deficit to his hometown hero teammate in second place. 

Image: Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

2025 Monaco Grand Prix Schedule (AEST):

Friday, May 23:

FP1: 21:30 – 22:30

Saturday, May 24:

FP2: 01:00 – 02:00

FP3: 20:30 – 21:30

Sunday, May 25:

Quali: 00:00 – 01:00

Race: 23:00

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