Lewis Hamilton 'convinced' he would lose F1 podium at Silverstone before dramatic FIA announcement

Hamilton holding F1 mic in Ferrari merch with hand covering face in front of union jack and London landscape background — Photo: © IMAGO

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton 'convinced' he would lose F1 podium at Silverstone before dramatic FIA announcement

Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton was gutted by the result, and thought he had been given a stonewall penalty

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 6 July 2026 12:25

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Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton reacted to what he thought was an imminent penalty from the stewards in a very downbeat way, before a dramatic announcement from the FIA.

Hamilton finished third at the British Grand Prix, a great result considering his championship rival Kimi Antonelli was all the way down in 16th.

The Ferrari star struggled to match the pace of his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who took a stunning race victory, and it looked as though Hamilton's afternoon could get a lot worse.

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A late yellow flag due to Nico Hulkenberg's Audi coming to a halt led to Hamilton being placed under investigation for an alleged yellow flag infringement, with it looking like he hadn't slowed down under the single yellow flags.

After the race Hamilton went to the stewards, and he suggested that it was likely that he would be handed a penalty.

To rub salt into the wounds of Hamilton, a late Max Verstappen crash caused a safety car. This, of course, bunched the field up, meaning any potential Hamilton penalty would have been even more impactful on his result.

But the 41-year-old was saved by a late FIA announcement, which confirmed that there would be no further action for his alleged yellow flag infringement, meaning he would keep his podium finish.

That was a mighty relief for the Brit, particularly because he had already had to stomach a five-second penalty for moving before lights out at the start.

RESULTS: Verstappen crash costs Hamilton in dramatic finish

Hamilton believed penalty inevitable

"Congrats to Charles," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. "He did a great job. All the magic I had on Friday just disappeared through the weekend.

"I'm probably going to get a penalty. The FIA often have to react... I went through a yellow flag and didn't see it. So a jump start, yellow flag [infringement]. When it rains it pours.

"I've just been to see them but don't have an answer. But I will probably get a penalty I'm sure."

Hamilton then gave a bit more detail about his actual race, seemingly downbeat about his inability to properly challenge for the race victory.

"I was just lacking front end," he said. "We massively under-egged it on the front wing. That's my fault and the engineer fault."

Overall, Hamilton's 16th British GP podium means that he is now just 32 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, as he chases down an eighth drivers' championship title.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari British Grand Prix