Lewis Hamilton’s debut Monaco Grand Prix weekend with Ferrari has taken an unfortunate turn. Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen during qualifying.
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What Happened?
The incident occurred at the end of Q1, when Hamilton, unaware of Verstappen’s rapid approach, slowed down entering Mirabeau. The Red Bull driver was visibly frustrated, gesturing from the cockpit as his final flying lap was compromised. The stewards reviewed the footage and telemetry, ultimately determining that Ferrari’s communication to Hamilton was too late for him to effectively respond. While the team acknowledged their role, the penalty falls solely on Hamilton.
Hamilton had originally qualified fourth, but the penalty will now see him start Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix from seventh on the grid. Verstappen, who only just scraped through to Q2 after the incident, didn’t hide his annoyance. “It’s not the first time this kind of thing happens in Monaco,” he told Autosport. “But when you’re on a lap and someone is in the way like that, it’s super annoying. Especially when it’s qualifying here, every thousandth matters.”
Hamilton’s Words
“I don’t know if there was some sort of issue with the computer screen. It said that Max was on the lap, and then it disappeared and said it wasn’t,” he explained.
“They told me he was on a lap, so I moved to the side… then they realised he wasn’t on the lap, so they told me and I started to accelerate. I stayed fully to the left. And I wasn’t on the racing line, but of course it was distracting for Max.”
Tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix
Hamilton receiving a three-place grid penalty is a blow to his hopes of contending at a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult. It’s also the first time he’s received a grid drop since Zandvort in 2024.
Ferrari’s weekend has otherwise been promising, with Charles Leclerc taking pole position on home soil. The team will now have to strategize carefully to maximize Hamilton’s recovery efforts during the race, particularly in a congested midfield with two mandated pit stops.
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Feature Image Credit: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre
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