JUST IN: FIA Stewards Investigate Lewis Hamilton After F1 Rival Blasts Ferrari Star… Read more

FIA Stewards Investigate Lewis Hamilton After F1 Rival Blasts Ferrari Star

 

By Hugo Harvey | September 24, 2026 | F1 REPORT

 

Lewis Hamilton was investigated by FIA stewards following a tense incident with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson during second practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

 

The seven-time world champion found himself under scrutiny after appearing to impede Lawson during the session, with the Racing Bulls driver forced to react quickly as he approached Hamilton at high speed.

 

Hamilton had been running slowly through the final sector of the Baku circuit with around 20 minutes remaining in the session. The Ferrari driver appeared to be managing his energy deployment and preparing his battery for the long straight, but his positioning created a difficult situation for Lawson, who was approaching on a flying lap.

 

Lawson rapidly closed in on Hamilton while the Ferrari was travelling along the racing line. With the speed difference between the two cars significant, Lawson had to take evasive action to avoid running into the rear of Hamilton’s Ferrari.

 

The New Zealander immediately expressed his frustration over team radio.

 

“Oh my God that is so fing dangerous, oh my God dude, that is so fing dangerous,” Lawson told his Racing Bulls team after the incident.

 

The FIA stewards subsequently noted the incident and summoned both Hamilton and Lawson to explain what had happened.

 

Hamilton was already aware that the incident could attract the attention of the stewards and later addressed the situation after the session. The Ferrari driver appeared confident that the circumstances of the practice session should be taken into account when determining whether any punishment was necessary.

 

“I’m waiting to find out what they’re gonna say but I’ll tell you, we’re gonna have interesting discussions if there’s like a penalty from it because, as I said, it’s Friday and it’s not changed anybody’s weekend,” Hamilton said.

 

“We’ll see. Hopefully they’ve understood and hopefully we’ll work together to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

 

The stewards reviewed extensive evidence before reaching their decision, including video footage, timing information, telemetry, team radio and in-car camera footage.

 

According to the stewards’ findings, Hamilton was on an out lap while Lawson was approaching on a flying lap. Ferrari had also informed Hamilton twice that Lawson was approaching.

 

The Race Director’s Competition Notes contained specific instructions for drivers completing out laps or slow laps at this section of the Baku circuit. Cars were required to remain on the extreme left from the exit of Turn 16 through to the entry of Turn 18, while teams and drivers were also expected to manage their gaps before Turn 18 to prevent an approaching car on a competitive lap from being impeded.

 

The stewards concluded that Hamilton did not remain on the extreme left between Turns 16 and 18.

 

The situation became more significant approaching Turn 19, where Lawson was closing rapidly from behind. Hamilton remained on the racing line, forcing Lawson to lift and brake slightly.

 

The stewards therefore determined that Hamilton had failed to follow the traffic-management instructions and had unnecessarily impeded Lawson.

 

However, the incident did not result in a grid penalty or a more severe sporting punishment. The stewards noted that the normal penalty for impeding during free practice is a warning unless the incident is considered dangerous or intentional.

 

In Hamilton’s case, the stewards found no evidence that he had deliberately attempted to impede Lawson. Nevertheless, they considered the incident serious because of the layout of the Baku circuit, the high-speed nature of the relevant corners and the specific instructions issued by the Race Director.

 

“The Stewards therefore determined that Hamilton did not follow the traffic-management instructions and unnecessarily impeded Lawson,” the decision stated.

 

The stewards also considered factors that complicated the situation. Both Hamilton and Lawson explained during the hearing that the difference in speed between cars can become particularly significant when one driver has exhausted the available energy deployment.

 

The stewards acknowledged that managing energy deployment between Turns 16 and 19 can be difficult, particularly when a driver is attempting to maximise performance on the long Baku straight.

 

After considering all the circumstances, Hamilton was handed a driving reprimand.

 

That decision means the Ferrari driver avoided a more damaging consequence heading into the remainder of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. Had a similar incident occurred during qualifying, however, the consequences could have been considerably more significant because blocking during a competitive session can result in a grid penalty.

 

For Hamilton, the reprimand was not the only concern to emerge from Thursday’s running.

 

Ferrari appeared to lack the pace of championship rivals Mercedes during the second practice session, with Hamilton ending the day fifth fastest. His team-mate Charles Leclerc was a couple of tenths ahead, while George Russell set the pace for Mercedes.

 

More concerning for Ferrari was the gap to Russell, with Hamilton finishing approximately 1.3 seconds behind his former Mercedes team-mate.

 

That deficit could leave Ferrari with significant work to do before qualifying, particularly with Baku’s long straights and demanding low-speed sections placing a premium on both aerodynamic efficiency and power-unit performance.

 

Hamilton will now turn his attention towards Saturday’s competitive sessions, where the pressure will increase significantly. The Ferrari driver will need to extract considerably more performance from his car if he is to challenge Mercedes and remain competitive in what is becoming an increasingly important stage of the 2026 championship battle.

 

The Baku incident has therefore provided Hamilton with an early warning: with the FIA already scrutinising traffic management closely, Ferrari will need to ensure its drivers are given clear instructions whenever they are preparing their cars while faster competitors approach from behind.

 

For Lawson, the reprimand brings an end to the immediate investigation, but his angry radio message underlined just how close the situation came to becoming a much more serious incident on one of Formula 1’s fastest and most unforgiving circuits.