Lewis Hamilton has been handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding the Red Bull of Max Verstappen during qualifying for the 2025 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver qualified fourth for Sunday’s race, but before the final shootout for pole, Hamilton was involved in an impeding incident with the reigning World Champion.
As Verstappen approached the Casino section, he came across a slow-moving Hamilton in the Ferrari, forcing him to adjust his line and compromising his flying lap.
The Briton took to the radio to vent his frustration after his race engineer incorrectly told him that the Dutchman was on a slow lap.
A document from the FIA read: “We carefully examined the racing line taken by Car 1 in previous laps at the same area and determined that Car 44 did in fact enter the racing line that Car 1 used in previous push laps.
“This put it beyond doubt that Car 1 was impeded.
“The driver of Car 44 expressed his displeasure at the incorrect message from the team immediately after the incident.
“During the hearing, the fact of the team’s incorrect message leading to the incident was accepted by the driver of Car 44.
“As with previous incidents of this nature where a driver has received inaccurate or incomplete information resulting in a car impeding another, the fact that the radio message was the cause of the impeding does not amount to a mitigating factor.
“We therefore impose the standard penalty of a drop of 3 grid positions.”
Hamilton will now start the Grand Prix from seventh on the grid, behind Verstappen, Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso – who all gain a position up the order.
Verstappen: Miscommunication led to impeding incident
The 27-year-old has had his fair share of troubles with traffic this race weekend around the streets of Monte Carlo.
In the aftermath of qualifying, Verstappen shared his thoughts on the incident: “Well, at the time, of course, I was like, what is going on here?
“It was quite clear that there was a car in my way, but basically the team [Ferrari] just told Lewis that I was suddenly driving slow.
“So then, of course, Lewis accelerates, which is, I think, normal, because he thinks that I’m on a slow lap, but I’m clearly not on a slow lap.”
Verstappen felt it was a slam-dunk penalty, regardless of Ferrari’s communication error.
“I know that it’s not his fault, but I even got a one-place grid penalty, not even competing on a fast lap,” he stated.
“So, yeah, if you get away with that, then I’ll be really surprised.”
“It’s not like I’m trying to get Lewis a penalty; it’s just the precedent of what they have been using in the stewards’ room.”
Hamilton pointed towards a technical error as to why he was fed the wrong information.
“I don’t know if there was some sort of issue with the computer screen, so it said that Max was on the lap and then it disappeared and said he wasn’t, so that was the information they gave me,” the Ferrari driver explained.
“They told me he was on a lap, so I moved to the side.
“I was completely out of the way and I guess for them they realised he wasn’t on the lap.
“So then they told me that, and so I started to accelerate; I stayed fully to the left and I wasn’t on the racing line, but of course it was distracting for Max.”
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