Ferrari has been fined £25,512 following an incident where Lewis Hamilton inadvertently struck a team member with his car during a pit lane mishap at the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton was given the go-ahead signal to leave the pit stop and return to the track at Spa-Francorchamps.
Although the crew member was unhurt, Hamilton, a seven-time Formula 1 champion, expressed concern for the mechanic on his team radio. The incident reminded him of a previous occurrence involving Kimi Raikkonen injuring a mechanic in Bahrain.
After the race, Hamilton stated that he reacted to the green light without noticing the mechanic and felt a moment of dread thinking about the previous incident with Raikkonen.
Despite the mechanic escaping injury, Ferrari faced consequences for the incident, leading to a significant fine imposed by the FIA. The team was fined €30,000, with a portion suspended subject to meeting certain conditions and submitting a report to the FIA within a specified timeframe.
The stewards’ investigation revealed that as Hamilton’s car was leaving the pit stop, a mechanic inadvertently stepped into its path but was not harmed in the process.
Hamilton finished fourth in the Belgian Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli claiming victory while Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen secured podium finishes. This result places Hamilton in second position in the Drivers’ Championship, trailing Antonelli by 45 points.
