Former FIA steward Johnny Herbert has stated that Lewis Hamilton’s recent pit-lane speeding penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix was entirely the driver’s responsibility. Herbert suggested that the Lewis Hamilton of a decade ago would not have committed such an error.
Hamilton received a five-second penalty for exceeding the 80 km/h pit lane speed limit by 0.1 km/h during the Hungarian Grand Prix. The infraction occurred when Hamilton released the pit-lane limiter prematurely.
This incident contributed to a series of four penalties for Hamilton across his last three races. Hamilton publicly expressed frustration, suggesting stewards penalise him at every opportunity.
The penalties include a five-second sanction for a false start at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Additionally, Hamilton received a five-second penalty for a track limits infringement at the Austrian Grand Prix and another five-second penalty for an unsafe pit stop release at the Spanish Grand Prix.
During a meeting with the FIA at the Hungarian Grand Prix, drivers discussed penalty consistency. Hamilton later confirmed that the FIA admitted his Silverstone false start penalty should not have been issued.
Herbert, who provides commentary for various motorsport platforms, defended the current stewarding panel. He maintained that the guidelines are clear and that the stewards are performing an excellent job in their application.
‘The speeding offence was Hamilton’s fault, full stop. You can’t blame anyone else,’ Herbert stated. ‘Would the Lewis of 10 years ago have done something like that? Probably not. I don’t know why he got his judgement so completely wrong. Ultimately, there are no excuses.’
Herbert further commented that the stewards do not hold any bias against Hamilton, emphasising the importance of drivers avoiding such mistakes. He stressed that consistency in penalty application is crucial for the sport.
Currently, in the 2026 Drivers’ standings, Hamilton sits in second position. He is 50 points behind his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, who leads the championship.
