The seven-time world champion was among a group of drivers, including George Russell and Oscar Piastri, who were handed penalties during the race at the Circuit de Monaco for allegedly exceeding the pit lane speed limit.
Hamilton’s penalty came after he entered the pit lane for his first stop and was judged to have gone 0.1 km/h over the limit. The sanction was applied almost immediately, resulting in a five-second penalty.
Despite the setback, Hamilton managed to serve the penalty during his second stop and avoided losing track position. He went on to finish second for a second consecutive race, moving him up to second in the drivers’ standings, although he still trails race winner Kimi Antonelli by 66 points.
After the race, Hamilton insisted he did not believe he had actually broken the rules and suggested the issue may lie in how the pit lane is measured and interpreted by the systems used.
“I wasn’t speeding,” Hamilton said. “The pit limiter was on straight away. It’s the same approach we’ve used here for years. I think it’s just the line you take into the pit lane.”
He added that he was surprised to hear about the penalty so quickly after the incident. “I was shocked to hear I was speeding because I wasn’t actually above the limit. It’s something we really need to look into because a lot of drivers got caught out.”
