Why Lewis Hamilton’s Italian GP grid drop shone the spotlight on a long-standing F1 problem

Lewis Hamilton‘s first Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari may have already been an uphill battle as the team struggles to overcome McLaren in 2025, but it will be much harder due to a much delayed penalty from the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Briton was handed a five-place grid penalty for his first trip to Monza as a Ferrari driver for failing to slow under double yellows on a reconnaissance lap to the grid at Zandvoort.

However, the penalty was handed out around three hours after the chequered flag, and much longer after Hamilton had retired from the Grand Prix.

Hamilton made a minor error going through the banked Turn 3 on Lap 22, getting onto the painted outskirts and rendering himself a passenger as his SF-25 clipped the wall.

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While Hamilton was understandably disappointed, he saw the positives from a weekend where Ferrari made a major turnaround from “the worst Friday of the last three years”.

However, the positives from Ferrari’s turnaround will now be overshadowed due to Hamilton’s penalty, making his pursuit of a first Grand Prix podium for the team even harder.

But why did it take so long to deliver a penalty for an incident that took place even before the grid was formed?

Why the delay?

As previously mentioned, the incident in question occurred during one of the laps to the grid before the race even started, which raises the question of why the decision to investigate was made after the race.

While Hamilton retired early, there was still a 22-lap window before he retired to have made a decision to penalise Hamilton for a rather cut-and-dry infringement in modern-day F1.

Not slowing sufficiently for yellow flags is not something that can be argued, and pretty easy to judge.

Therefore, why did it require a post-race investigation, which has now affected Hamilton’s first race with Ferrari at Monza?

A decision could have very easily been made before the race even started, or in the early laps of the Grand Prix, regardless of his DNF.

Even after Hamilton’s race was over, a decision still wasn’t made until around three hours after the chequered flag fell at Zandvoort, something which baffled many fans at the time.

A time penalty to be served in the pitstops, which ultimately would have been ineffective either way due to Hamilton’s DNF, would have still made more sense at the time rather than waiting so long to make a call.

Continued stewarding inconsistencies

Unfortunately for the sport, it wasn’t the only case of questionable decision-making on race day in Zandvoort.

William’s Carlos Sainz was handed a 10-second time penalty for his collision with Liam Lawson in the early stages of the race.

Trying to go around the outside at Turn 1, Sainz would be slid into by the understeering Kiwi, giving them both punctures and ending their attempts at points finishes.

Sainz was rightfully shocked by the call, but unfortunately with the way the rule book is written these days, the Spaniard was right to be penalised.

Lawson was ahead at the apex, meaning Sainz was not entitled to any space of the exit. As per the rules, Sainz was at fault for the collision that essentially ended their races.

On many occasions, the stewards’ calls have come under question, and Zandvoort did nothing to help the situation regarding how many fans view that aspect.

While Hamilton’s penalty should not define his Italian GP, it makes his job unnecessarily harder than it needed to be, duly down to a decision outside of his control.

“I was surprised when I heard about the penalty. But it is what it is. I have to live with it” Hamilton told media including Motorsport Week.

The role of a steward and attempting to keep everyone happy is probably one of the hardest roles in F1.

However, on occasions like this, their decisions call into question some of the calls they make and the effect they have on the sport.

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton admits to ‘huge pressure’ ahead of first Italian GP at Ferrari