Hamilton given three-place grid penalty for impeding in Monaco GP Qualifying
24th May 2025Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton has been given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Feature image credit: Scuderia Ferrari
Hamilton has joined the list of those who will serve grid penalties during Sunday’s race as the seven-time world champion has been given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Verstappen.
In Q1, on the run-up to Massenet, Verstappen was on a hot lap, but he quickly encountered Hamilton entering the racing line at turn two. The defending world champion had to abort his fast lap as a result.
The stewards confirmed that the area in which Hamilton entered was the usual racing line after examining Verstappen’s previous laps.
It was confirmed that Hamilton was initially told that Verstappen was slowing down on his ascent up to Massenet, but the Dutchman what was suggested by the Ferrari team.
Despite being told incorrect information by the team did not amount to a mitigating factor; it meant the stewards applied the usual three-place grid penalty for impeding.
In their report, the Stewards said:
“The team first informed the driver of Car 44 that Car 1 was on a fast lap. Then they sent another message saying that Car 1 was ‘slowing down’ when in fact Car 1 was always on a push lap and was not ‘slowing down’ as suggested by the team.
“This resulted in Car 44 speeding up and moving into the racing line of Car 1 entering Turn 3. Car 1 had to react to Car 44 appearing to move into the racing line. This meant that Car 1 had to move off the usual racing line and the push lap had to be aborted by Car 1.
“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.”
As a result of the three-place grid penalty, it means Hamilton will now start the race from seventh on the grid instead of fourth. In turn, this will now promote Verstappen, Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) up one position each.
Hamilton will now join the likes of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Haas’ Oliver Bearman, who both have to serve their respective grid penalties on Sunday’s race.
Stroll has a four-place grid penalty to serve for impeding Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in qualifying (three-place grid drop) and causing a collision with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in FP1 (one-place grid drop). Whereas, Bearman has a 10-place grid penalty to serve for overtaking under red flag conditions in FP2.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Stroll slapped with three-place grid penalty for impeding Gasly in Monaco GP qualifying
- Norris claims pole position ahead of Leclerc for Monaco GP
- Colapinto avoids punishment for Monaco GP red flag infringement
- Leclerc clean sweeps Monaco GP practice as Hamilton crashes
- 2 Grid penalties confirmed so far ahead of Monaco GP
- Leclerc completes clean sweep in disrupted Monaco GP FP2
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
