FIA announces Lewis Hamilton verdict after multiple post-qualifying investigations
The FIA has announced its verdict after Lewis Hamilton was investigated
Lewis Hamilton has avoided a penalty after being investigated for potentially impeding Pierre Gasly during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was back in the stewards’ office after qualifying, having already spoken with them earlier in the day for potentially leaving the track and gaining an advantage in his last-lap Sprint battle with Oscar Piastri.
Lewis Hamilton cleared after Canadian Grand Prix qualifying investigation
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The stewards ruled no further action was necessary.
He was back in the spotlight during qualifying for the Grand Prix, having appeared to block Gasly at Turn 8 during the opening segment of qualifying. Both drivers did progress to Q2.
Again, the stewards, having heard from both drivers, ruled no further action.
“The driver of Car 44 explained that he was under the impression that Car 10 was not on a push lap, and his team confirmed that it had the same opinion,” read the verdict.
“The driver and team representative of Car 10 stated they did not consider this to be a case of “unnecessary impeding”. The Stewards therefore determined to take no further action.”
Meanwhile, it was an expensive qualifying session for Aston Martin, adding to the team’s F1 2026 woes.
The team was found guilty of releasing Fernando Alonso into the path of Franco Colapinto, who had to hit the brakes to avoid a collision.
The stewards declared: “It was apparent that Car 43 had to swerve and locked the front wheels to avoid a collision with Car 14. This was determined by the Stewards to be an unsafe release.”
Aston Martin was fined €5,000, only to be hit with a further €7,500 for allowing Lance Stroll’s AMR26 to leave the pits in an unsafe condition.
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Stroll left the garage with wheel covers still fitted to his car. While one of the wheel covers came loose as he headed down the pit lane, the inner cover was dislodged on his out-lap.
“This particular part, although made from carbon fibre, is still potentially dangerous if it hit another car or a person,” said the stewards. “The driver was not aware of the situation and the team admitted that part of its inspection process had overlooked the correct fixation of the securing devices for these pieces.
“The team undertook to thoroughly review its inspection process. The penalty is higher than for an unsafe release due to the fact that the car was on the track when the second piece dislodged.”
On a busy afternoon for the stewards, Sergio Perez was given a warning for failing to adhere to the Race Director’s notes, with Alonso having taken evasive action as he reached the slow-moving Cadillac at the final chicane.
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