FIA announce late Lewis Hamilton penalty at Hungarian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton, FIA, Ferrari, Belgium, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Hungarian Grand Prix

FIA announce late Lewis Hamilton penalty at Hungarian Grand Prix

The Hungaroring plays host to the Hungarian Grand Prix today!

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 26 July 2026 16:58

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Lewis Hamilton was given a five-second penalty towards the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix, ruining his chances of a podium in the F1 race.

Hamilton had pitted during a virtual safety car period, ditching his old hard tyres and moving onto a set of soft tyres in order to try and chase after Max Verstappen and race leader Lando Norris.

However, when he came out of the pits, he managed to get ahead of Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli despite being under virtual safety car conditions. Ferrari immediately told him to give the position back, as to avoid picking up a penalty.

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But despite doing this, Hamilton would go on to pick up a penalty anyway, after having been found guilty of speeding in the pit lane by FIA race stewards.

Hamilton, who was running up in fourth at the time that the penalty was handed out, took to team radio to say to his race engineer Carlo Santi: "Handing out penalties like crazy".

Hamilton had previously been given a three-place grid drop after qualifying for an impeding incident involving Oscar Piastri, while he also picked up penalties at the recent Belgian and British Grands Prix.

Hamilton title chances damaged in Hungary

Having been reinvigorated in 2026, Hamilton has found himself as Kimi Antonelli's nearest challenger in the drivers' championship, as he chases after a record-breaking eighth title.

But despite looking to have a faster car than Antonelli's Mercedes for much of the Hungarian GP weekend, Hamilton actually ended up losing five points to the young Italian as a result of his race performance.

Hamilton's penalty demoted him behind team-mate Charles Leclerc and down into fifth, while Antonelli finished up in third. It means that the 19-year-old now leads the 41-year-old Hamilton by 50 points heading into the summer break.

Hamilton did, however, extend his lead over George Russell in third in the championship, who finished the Hungarian GP down in seventh after a dismal start.

Lando Norris won the race having claimed pole position over Hamilton by just 12 thousandths of a second during Saturday qualifying.