Lewis Hamilton expressed concern that he might have seriously injured one of his Ferrari pit crew after striking him during a pit stop at the Belgian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion was given a green light to depart, but immediately stopped upon realizing he had hit a mechanic. He asked over the radio if the mechanic was hurt; fortunately, no lasting damage occurred. However, the incident is under investigation by stewards for a potential unsafe release penalty.
Flashback to 2018 Bahrain Incident
Hamilton recalled a similar event from the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix, where Kimi Raikkonen, also released by Ferrari, hit mechanic Francesco Cigorini, causing a double leg fracture. Hamilton told Sky Sports: "The green light went, and so I went. You're looking over here [at the light] and not over there [at the mechanic]. That's more on the team, ultimately. But when it happened, I noticed him and I stopped and what went through my mind at that moment was when Kimi hit and broke the leg, and my heart really sank for a second. I'm really grateful he's okay."
Potential Penalty Looms
Hamilton finished fourth in the race, less than five seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri. The FIA penalty guidelines for unsafe release include five-second, 10-second, or drive-through penalties. If penalized, this would be Hamilton's second punishment of the day. Earlier, he received a five-second penalty for colliding with George Russell on the opening lap, sending the Mercedes into a spin and into the gravel, where it became beached.
Stewards' Decision on First Penalty
The FIA stewards explained their decision for the earlier penalty: "Car 44 experienced understeer and, despite attempting to avoid Car 63 by applying corrective steering, made contact with the right-hand side of Car 63 with its left-front wheel. The stewards determined that Car 63 remained within the available racing room and that the collision was caused by Car 44 being unable to maintain sufficient separation. The stewards recognise several mitigating circumstances. Car 44 acknowledged the presence of Car 63, attempted to leave appropriate racing room and made a genuine attempt to avoid contact. The collision resulted from a loss of front-end grip rather than from an aggressive or deliberate manoeuvre. In addition, the incident occurred on the opening lap, where reduced grip and compressed racing conditions are recognised. For these reasons, while Car 44 was wholly at fault for the collision, the stewards consider that a five-second time penalty, rather than the standard 10-second time penalty, is the appropriate penalty in accordance with the FIA Penalty Guidelines."
