Hamilton receives fourth penalty at Hungarian GP

Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged he must avoid giving Formula 1 stewards any reason to penalize him after receiving his fourth sanction in three race weekends at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26, 2026. The seven-time world champion was handed a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane by a margin of just 0.1 km/h, which demoted him from fourth to fifth in the final classification behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

The penalty capped a frustrating weekend for Hamilton, who had already received a three-place grid drop for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying. The combined setbacks severely damaged his race prospects at the Hungaroring. Hamilton expressed his frustration over team radio when informed of the speeding penalty, stating the stewards were "handing out penalties like crazy." After the race, he added that every opportunity he gives the officials results in a penalty.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur provided technical context, explaining that while the FIA agrees to a tolerance of 80.05 km/h, Hamilton's car was recorded at 80.06 km/h, with the speed rounded up to show the 0.1 km/h breach. Vasseur suggested a sequence of small errors led to the...