Lewis Hamilton has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Hungarian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton has explained why he is struggling to find the positives after being handed another penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion was given a three-place penalty on the grid for Sunday’s race after impeding Oscar Piastri during the closing stages of qualifying.
Hamilton was also handed a five-second penalty for causing a collision with George Russell on the first lap of the Belgium Grand Prix last week, which sent his former teammate out of the race.
Two weeks earlier at Silverstone, the Ferrari driver was handed another punishment, this time a five-second penalty for jumping the start of the British Grand Prix.
A third penalty across three consecutive race weekends has sparked an emotional social media message from Hamilton, who told his 43.5million Instagram followers: “Sometimes you just can’t catch a break. Another weekend when I’ve been feeling great throughout all the sessions, but then it just falls apart.
“To go from being so close to pole to then starting P5 is extremely frustrating. I always do my best to keep positive — sport is always about the highs and lows, but it’s also in the margins. Every point counts and you have to seize every opportunity.
“After 3 penalties in 3 weekends, it’s becoming difficult to hang on to that postivity. Still, I won’t let the setbacks take away from the progress we’ve been making as a team.
“With the pace we have, I’m hopeful we can get something out of the race tomorrow. The car has been feeling better and better, and we’ve been competitive all weekend.
“Tonight, we’ll keep working hard together to give ourselves the best possible chance tomorrow. I always enjoy this track, so keep the faith and send good vibes for the race.”
Despite Hamilton’s frustration, this particular penalty was viewed by most as a clear-cut case.
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Footage from the camera fitted to Piastri’s car revealed the Ferrari in front was loitering on the racing line approaching turn one, forcing the Australian to abandon his flying lap.
In explaining their decision to penalise Hamilton, the stewards stated: “The driver of Car 44 [Hamilton] explained that he had just completed a fast lap and did not receive the team’s radio message regarding the approaching Car 81 [Piastri] until the latter was already in close proximity.
“He further stated that, due to the positioning of his car on the track, Car 81 was not visible in his mirrors. Car 81, which was on a push lap, was forced to take avoiding action by running wide and being obliged to abort the lap. Having examined the available evidence, the stewards determined that Car 44 unnecessarily impeded Car 81.”