The Italian team was fined €30,000 (€10,000 suspended) for the Briton's unsafe release at the Belgian GP. A mechanic was hit by the car after stepping into the trajectory of the right front wheel.
Ferrari has been fined €30,000 (€10,000 suspended for 12 months) for Lewis Hamilton's unsafe release at the Belgian Grand Prix. The incident occurred during the Briton's pit stop on lap 20, when a mechanic was hit by the car after stepping into the trajectory of the right front wheel. Fortunately, the mechanic did not suffer injuries, but the maneuver was investigated by the stewards after the race.
Hamilton had received a five second penalty for contact with George Russell on the first lap and pitted under the Virtual Safety Car to serve the penalty. Once the time was served, all tires were changed, but a mechanic operating a front wing tool moved into the car's trajectory and was hit. Hamilton immediately stopped his car until the mechanic moved away.
The stewards determined that the release was unsafe and that Ferrari was responsible for the incident. In the stewards' document, it was explained that the team had made communication errors: "The team explained that the incident occurred in the context of a complex and unusual combination of circumstances. Hamilton had received a 5 second penalty that had to be served before work on the car could begin. Leclerc was in his box at the time Hamilton entered the pit lane. Hamilton requested a front wing adjustment, but that instruction was not passed to the pit stop controller" the document explained.
The sequence of events was confusing: "When Hamilton arrived at his box, he served the penalty and at the end of the 5 seconds a team member said 'Go' and then '0.6 degrees.' The first was an instruction to start the stop and the second was for a front wing adjustment. The tire change was completed, the jack dropped the car and the controller activated the green light for Hamilton to leave. Just as the driver moved, the mechanic stepped forward and was hit" the stewards detailed.
Ferrari acknowledged that the release was unsafe and attributed the error to a late instruction for the front wing adjustment, a lack of clear communication and the mechanic's lack of attention. The team committed to reviewing its procedures to prevent this type of incident from happening again.
The stewards confirmed that Hamilton was not at fault and that the incident did not justify a sporting penalty, but did justify a significant fine. The suspended portion of the fine is conditional on Ferrari not committing a similar infringement in the next 12 months and on submitting a report on the incident and the protocols introduced to mitigate risk.
