Ferrari Criticises “Mega Harsh” Lewis Hamilton Penalty in F1 Belgian GP 😮😲

Ferrari Criticises “Mega Harsh” Lewis Hamilton Penalty in F1 Belgian GP 😮😲

 

Lewis Hamilton’s Belgian Grand Prix has sparked a fresh Formula 1 controversy after Ferrari openly questioned the FIA’s decision to hand the seven-time world champion a five-second penalty for his opening-lap collision with George Russell.

 

Hamilton and Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur both strongly disagreed with the punishment, arguing that the incident at Spa-Francorchamps was more consistent with a racing incident than a clear case of one driver being responsible.

 

The drama unfolded on the opening lap as Hamilton battled his way past Russell through the Kemmel Straight. Russell, who had started third, was struggling with a significant electrical deployment problem and was quickly swallowed by the two Ferrari cars.

 

As the pair approached Les Combes, Russell attempted to go around the outside of Hamilton under braking. The cars made contact, sending Russell into the gravel and ending his race almost immediately.

 

The FIA stewards subsequently judged Hamilton to be responsible for causing the collision and imposed a five-second time penalty.

 

Hamilton, however, did not see it that way.

 

The Ferrari driver described the incident as a “racing incident”, while Russell himself also declined to put the blame entirely on Hamilton after the crash. Russell said he had not fully reviewed the incident but believed it was probably a racing incident and that he was not interested in blaming his former Mercedes team-mate.

 

For Ferrari, the punishment was particularly difficult to accept.

 

Vasseur described the decision as “very harsh”, pointing to the fact that the incident occurred on the opening lap and arguing that similar first-lap situations earlier in the season had not always resulted in penalties. Ferrari believed there was enough room for Russell and that the contact should have been treated as part of normal first-lap racing.

 

The penalty nevertheless had a real impact on Hamilton’s race. He served the five seconds during his pit stop under the Virtual Safety Car before continuing his fight through the field.

 

Despite the setback, Hamilton recovered strongly and eventually finished fourth, even overtaking McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the closing stages.

 

The stewards’ reasoning added another layer to the controversy. While acknowledging significant mitigation surrounding the incident, they still concluded that Hamilton was responsible for the collision and therefore deserved the penalty.

 

Adding to Hamilton’s frustration, Ferrari later faced a separate FIA investigation after a mechanic was struck during Hamilton’s pit stop. The mechanic was confirmed to have escaped injury, while Ferrari was fined over the unsafe release.

 

The Belgian GP therefore became another difficult chapter in Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari, but his recovery to fourth place demonstrated that the pace is still there when the race unfolds in his favour.

 

For Ferrari, however, the bigger issue may be consistency.

 

Vasseur’s criticism raises a question that is likely to remain controversial throughout the season: should opening-lap incidents that involve tight racing and limited visibility be punished in the same way as more obvious collisions?

 

Hamilton’s penalty may be only five seconds on the official results sheet, but the debate surrounding the FIA’s decision is proving considerably bigger.

 

And with Ferrari unwilling to hide its frustration, the Belgian Grand Prix controversy may not be over yet.