FIA announce Lewis Hamilton penalty verdict after Canadian Grand Prix sprint drama
By Hugo Harvey
The FIA have officially confirmed their verdict on an investigation involving Lewis Hamilton following a dramatic sprint race at the Canadian Grand Prix, with the seven-time world champion ultimately avoiding punishment after a tense battle with Oscar Piastri.
The incident occurred during the closing stages of the sprint race when Hamilton and Piastri went wheel-to-wheel approaching the final chicane. Under immense pressure from the McLaren driver, Hamilton cut across the chicane while trying to maintain position in his Ferrari, immediately triggering scrutiny from race control.
Stewards launched an investigation into whether Hamilton had left the track and gained a lasting advantage a breach that could have resulted in a costly 10-second time penalty. Such a punishment would have significantly altered the final sprint classification and potentially dropped Hamilton from fifth to seventh position, especially with Max Verstappen finishing well within penalty range behind.
At first glance, the situation appeared highly dangerous for Hamilton’s result. The Briton remained ahead of Piastri after cutting the chicane and initially retained fourth place. However, Piastri responded brilliantly just moments later, producing a clean and decisive overtake at the same section of the circuit on the penultimate lap.
The battle did not end there.
As Hamilton attempted to regroup after losing position to the Australian, his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc capitalised on the unfolding fight ahead. Leclerc quickly slipped past Hamilton at the beginning of the final lap, leaving the British driver to cross the line in fifth position after what had been an intensely competitive sprint encounter.
Despite the dramatic on-track action, the FIA stewards ultimately decided to take no further action against Hamilton following a detailed review of the evidence.
In the official steward document, the FIA explained that Hamilton’s case differed significantly from another incident earlier in the sprint race involving Nico Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg had received a 10-second penalty after being judged to have improperly defended his position by leaving the circuit during a battle.
According to the stewards, Hamilton was not actively defending from an overtaking attempt at the time he missed the final chicane, which became the key factor behind their decision.
“The Stewards reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, team radio and in-car video evidence,” the FIA statement explained.
“Car 44 was in front of Car 81 on the approach to Turn 13 and left the track, drove through the chicane and rejoined, in front of Car 81.
“However this incident differs from the previous incident in this Session involving Cars 27 and 30 in that Car 81 was not in an overtaking position on Car 44.
“Accordingly Car 44 was not deemed by the Stewards to be defending its position hence was not deemed to gain a lasting advantage, consistent with the Driving Standards Guidelines.”
The ruling immediately sparked debate among fans and analysts, particularly because similar incidents in recent Formula 1 races have often resulted in harsher penalties. Some supporters argued that Hamilton still benefitted by remaining ahead after cutting the corner, while others agreed with the FIA’s interpretation that Piastri had not yet fully established an overtaking opportunity before the incident occurred.
For Hamilton and Ferrari, the verdict came as an important relief during what has already been a highly pressurised weekend. Ferrari have shown flashes of strong pace throughout the Canadian Grand Prix event, but the team continue to battle fierce competition from McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes in both the drivers’ and constructors’ standings.
The sprint race itself delivered another reminder of just how aggressive and competitive the current Formula 1 field has become. Piastri’s late move on Hamilton highlighted McLaren’s impressive race pace, while Leclerc’s opportunistic pass demonstrated Ferrari’s willingness to allow their drivers to fight hard on track.
Meanwhile, Verstappen narrowly missed out on potentially gaining another position due to the investigation outcome, with the reigning world champion remaining close enough behind to benefit if Hamilton had received a post-race sanction.
The FIA also reminded competitors that teams retain the right to appeal certain steward decisions under the FIA International Sporting Code and Judicial and Disciplinary Rules within the designated time limits.
For now, however, Hamilton’s result stands and the Ferrari driver escapes Montreal without any further punishment after one of the most talked-about incidents of the sprint race weekend.