Lewis Hamilton's Belgian Grand Prix has ended with yet another financial penalty for Ferrari, after Scuderia was fined €30,000 for the unsafe release of Car 44 from a pit stop during Sunday's Formula 1 race at Spa-Francorchamps.
According to the official stewards' document issued on July 19, as Car 44 was being released from its pit stop, a mechanic stepped into the path of the front right tire as the car moved forward. The mechanic fell but was not injured.
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The stewards reviewed video evidence and heard from Ferrari's team representative before determining that the release was unsafe, constituting a breach of Article B1.6.2a of the FIA F1 Regulations. Of the €30,000 fine, €10,000 has been suspended for 12 months on the condition that Ferrari does not commit a similar infringement and submits a report to the FIA within 14 days outlining the protocols introduced to mitigate the risk of a repeat.
What Led to the Unsafe Release
Hamilton had been issued a five-second time penalty earlier in the race for his opening lap collision with George Russell, which had to be served before work could commence on his car during the pit stop. Charles Leclerc was in his pit box at the same time Hamilton entered the pit lane.
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The Briton told his engineer he wanted a front wing adjustment, but that instruction was not conveyed to the super controller. After Hamilton arrived in his box and served the five-second penalty, one member of the team announced "Go," then "0.6 degrees," the former an instruction to commence the pit stop and the latter an instruction for a wing adjustment. The tire change was completed, the jack was dropped, and the super controller activated the green light signal for Car 44 to move off.
Just as the 41-year-old driver moved off, another mechanic carrying a front wing tool moved forward into the path of the front right tire. Before stepping forward, the mechanic had his head down, looking at the tool, and did not see the green light. Hamilton realized what had occurred as soon as he moved off and immediately stopped until the mechanic was clear.
Ferrari acknowledged the release was unsafe and attributed it to an inappropriately late instruction for the wing adjustment, a lack of clear communication, and the mechanic's failure to notice the green light. The team committed to a full review of their pit stop procedures.
Lewis Hamilton Shows Concern for the Mechanic
The stewards were explicit in their verdict that Hamilton was in no way responsible for what occurred, noting that "the driver was in no respect at fault." The data supports that too, Hamilton stopped as soon as he realized what had happened and waited until the mechanic was clear before moving off again.
His immediate concern, however, was not the fine or the stewards. As the incident unfolded, Hamilton was heard on team radio asking, "Is he ok?" The team responded: "He's ok. All ok." The Ferrari driver then added, "It went green." Speaking after the race, he expanded on the moment. "My heart really sank for a second," the British star told Sky Sports F1. "I'm really grateful he's ok."
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Despite the chaos of the pit stop and the floor damage he sustained during the race, Hamilton remained upbeat about Ferrari's underlying pace. "I think we had the pace to win today, but anyways, you know. I had this damage on the floor, but I still had great pace, but I was losing like 50 points [of downforce] or something. Given that, I'll take it," the seven-time world champion said during a Viaplay interview.
A Turbulent Weekend for Ferrari
The unsafe release fine caps a difficult weekend for the Scuderia at Spa. Ferrari was fined a combined €10,000 on Friday after both Hamilton's and Leclerc's cars were found not to have had their electronically returned tires physically returned to the appointed tire supplier before FP2. Hamilton was also penalized during the race for causing a collision with Russell on the opening lap and had crashed in FP3 earlier in the weekend, requiring a rushed repair.
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Amid the chaos, it was Leclerc who provided Ferrari’s brightest moment, crossing the line in second place to salvage a podium finish for the team. For Scuderia, though, the Belgian Grand Prix will be one to move on from quickly, with the summer break now approaching and the championship fight with Mercedes far from settled.