Hamilton crashes and ignores race control, but isn’t penalized: here’s why
· Yahoo Sports
Lewis Hamilton is not being investigated by the stewards after he ignored multiple Ferrari instructions to stop his damaged car during FP3 in Madrid. That’s notable because Sergio Perez received a three-place grid penalty in 2024 for continuing to drive with a heavily damaged Red Bull. Here’s why the two incidents are being judged differently.
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Hamilton crashed into the Tecpro barrier during the third free practice session, damaging, among other things, his nose and front wing. The seven-time world champion got his Ferrari running again and then attempted to return to the pits, despite multiple instructions from his team to stop his Formula 1 car.
During Hamilton’s attempt to return to the pits, part of his damaged front wing became lodged underneath the car, while he also suffered a front-right puncture. Ferrari immediately instructed him to stop in the safest possible place, with race engineer Carlo Santi repeatedly warning him about the damage and making clear that race control wanted the car stopped.
Hamilton initially wanted to continue and try to make it back to the pits, insisting he would only stop if that proved impossible. Ferrari continued to instruct him to pull over safely because of the front-right puncture, before Hamilton eventually parked his car at the side of the track. By that point, Santi had instructed him to stop no fewer than six times.
No investigation into Hamilton
Despite continuing to drive and Ferrari’s repeated instructions, there was no notice that Hamilton was being investigated for the incident, despite the rule in the sporting regulations that specifically states a driver must stop his car if it is in an unsafe condition. However, GPblog understands that the situation is being assessed differently than the incident involving Perez at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix.
At that time, Perez drove back to the pits after a crash with a heavily damaged rear wing. On the way, his Red Bull shed multiple parts. The stewards ultimately penalized the Mexican with a three-place grid drop for the following Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing was also fined 25,000 euros.
In Hamilton’s case, it matters that the incident occurred during a free practice session, whereas Perez continued during a race. In addition, Hamilton did eventually stop his Ferrari after the team repeatedly instructed him to do so. Moreover, there was a red flag and no marshals were on the track. Still, the situation could have turned out differently had he ultimately driven back to the pits.
What the FIA rules say
The sporting regulations contain a specific provision for damaged cars. Article B1.8.7 stipulates that a driver must leave the track as quickly as is safely possible when his car has clear and significant damage to a structural component that poses an immediate danger to the driver or others. The same applies in the event of a serious failure that means the car cannot reasonably return to the pit lane without unnecessarily hindering another driver or otherwise disrupting the event.
The rules themselves do not distinguish in that provision between a free practice session and a race. In fact, Article B1.5.1 states that safety measures and discipline on the track and in the pit lane, unless specifically provided otherwise elsewhere, are the same during free practice, qualifying, sprint qualifying, sprint, and the race.
Whether a damaged car actually falls under Article B1.8.7, however, depends on the assessment of the situation. The race director has the authority to explicitly instruct a team that a car with such damage or a serious failure must leave the track as quickly as is safely possible. That happened, but because Hamilton ultimately did stop his car in a safe place, the incident does not lead to an investigation.