Lewis Hamilton denies speeding charge after F1 Monaco Grand Prix penalty

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton denies speeding charge after F1 Monaco Grand Prix penalty

Lewis Hamilton was given a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 8 June 2026 17:58

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has spoken out about his controversial Monaco Grand Prix penalty.

FIA race stewards slapped Hamilton with a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, and a document released after the race revealed that he was just 0.1km/h over the 60km/h pit lane speed limit.

It was an offence that was committed by five other drivers during the race, an unusually high number for the same race.

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Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle suggested that there may have been a problem with the sensor or the position of the sensor, while Bernie Collins explained after the race that the pit lane speed was measured by distance, in a similar way to motorway average speed checks, and that the angle they were coming in to the pits at might have impacted the sensors.

Nevertheless, none of the drivers had their penalties rescinded, and had to deal with the consequences.

For Hamilton, it didn't impede his race too much, as he finished up in second, but he has still pleaded his innocence, claiming that his pit lane limiter was on the whole time.

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Hamilton adamant he didn't break speed limit

"Yeah, I wasn’t speeding," Hamilton claimed post-race. "I think it’s just the way the pit lane is. I’ve done this pit lane for years. It’s not like I came in and didn’t press the button or something like that. Pit lane limiter is on immediately, and I think it’s just the line that you take, which is the same line we’ve all taken for years, where you come in, you kind of cut part of the white line.

"Head down, went out. And I was shocked to hear that I was speeding because I wasn’t actually above the speed. It’s all about, I think, the distance and something that we really need to look into because I heard lots of people got that today and they probably weren’t really speeding. And having to do a stop-and-go, sort of stop and wait for five, 10 seconds, whatever people got, it destroys you on a track so short as well, your chances. So I’m thankful that it didn’t impede me too much."

Hamilton rejuvenated

Hamilton secured second place in Monaco behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who claimed his fifth successive grand prix win.

For Hamilton, it was a second consecutive second-place finish, as he returns to form this year with Ferrari. The 41-year-old is now up in second in the drivers' championship, his highest standing since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari FIA Monaco Grand Prix