Lewis Hamilton expressed frustration with Ferrari's strategy after a pit-lane speeding penalty cost him a podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26, 2026.
The seven-time champion finished fourth on track but dropped to fifth behind teammate Charles Leclerc after a five-second penalty for exceeding the 80 km/h pit lane limit by 0.1 km/h.
McLaren's Lando Norris won the race, ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.
Hamilton's penalty came during a late Virtual Safety Car period triggered by Oscar Piastri's retirement on lap 56, when Ferrari called him in for an unexpected third pit stop.
Hamilton Questions Late Pit Call
Hamilton said he disagreed with the decision to pit under the VSC, as it cost him track position.
"I definitely don't think we should have taken the stop," he told Sky Sports F1.
"The call came literally just before the pit-lane entry and I didn't have time to debate."
He believed staying out would have secured at least third place. "In hindsight, my tyres were totally fine.
I was probably going to lose out to Max but I think I could have kept third at least," Hamilton said.
The penalty extended his gap to championship leader Antonelli to 50 points heading into the summer break.
Hamilton has now received four penalties in the last three race weekends, including a jump start at Silverstone, a collision at Spa, and a grid drop for impeding in Hungary qualifying.
"I've had three bad races. Overall, we're there or thereabouts, in the fight.
Races like this are where championships are lost," Hamilton told DAZN.
Ferrari Explains the Infraction
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur clarified that Hamilton's speed was 80.06 km/h, just 0.01 km/h above the FIA's tolerated limit of 80.05 km/h.
"When the weekend is going in the wrong direction, 0.1 km/h is a big delta," Vasseur said.
He attributed the violation to a chain of minor errors: a locked wheel during the pit stop cost a few tenths, and Hamilton rushed the pit-lane release.
"It's probably a succession of mistakes," Vasseur added.
Hamilton admitted his own errors have been costly.
"I have to accept that I've made mistakes in the last three races that have cost me a lot of points," he said.
"I just need to take this time to reflect and sort my head out."
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remains optimistic about the second half of the season.
"We've got a bit more to come in the second half and we keep on pushing.
The second half will be stronger, usually the second half is a stronger period for me," he said.
Race winner Norris, who now sits 91 points behind Antonelli with 12 races remaining, called his performance one of his best.
"I was convinced I could win the race today and we did. We were just on another level," Norris said.
