Ferrari have been fined €30,000 — with €10,000 suspended for 12 months — after Lewis Hamilton was released unsafely from his pit box during the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, knocking a mechanic to the ground.
The incident occurred on Lap 20 of Sunday's race, which was running under a Virtual Safety Car period. Hamilton, who was carrying a five-second time penalty for first-lap contact with George Russell's Mercedes, had already served his penalty when the team rushed to complete the pit stop.
All four tyres were changed on the Ferrari driver's car. However, as Hamilton prepared to pull away, a mechanic carrying a front wing adjustment tool moved forward into the path of the front-right tyre. He was struck and fell to the floor. Hamilton immediately stopped the car until the mechanic was clear. The team later confirmed the mechanic was not injured in the incident.
Following the race, the FIA Stewards conducted a full investigation into the unsafe release. In their ruling, published on Sunday evening, they noted that Ferrari attributed the error to "an inappropriately late instruction for the wing adjustment, a lack of clear communication and the mechanic's failure to notice the green light."
According to the Stewards' document, Hamilton had told his engineer he wanted a front wing adjustment, but that message was not relayed to the super controller. When the 5-second penalty had elapsed, a team member called "Go" — intended as the instruction to commence the pit stop — followed by "0.6 degrees," the instruction for the wing adjustment. The tyre change was completed, the car was dropped from its jacks, and the super controller activated the green light signal for Hamilton to move off. At that moment, the mechanic — head down adjusting the tool — stepped forward without seeing the light.
The Stewards confirmed that Hamilton bore no responsibility for the incident. "The driver was not at fault," the ruling stated, adding that the case "did not justify a sporting penalty but did justify a significant fine."
The €30,000 fine includes a €10,000 suspended element, conditional on Ferrari not committing a similar infringement within the next 12 months. Additionally, the team must submit a formal report to the FIA detailing its review of the incident and the new protocols introduced to prevent a recurrence.
Ferrari acknowledged that releasing Car 44 under those circumstances was unsafe and committed to a full review of its pit stop procedures. The team's candid admission and cooperation were noted by the Stewards in their decision.
Sources
- https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-penalty-for-unsafe-pit-release-in-belgian-grand-prix-confirmed.p8ItnzotleVFVAU50e08T
