Lewis Hamilton put himself at risk of a grid penalty at the Singapore Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton in the Singapore F1 paddock (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton escaped what would have been a huge penalty after he was investigated by the stewards at the Singapore Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver was probed for allegedly breaking the rules regarding red flags which is a serious accusation and, if found guilty, he faced a potentially significant grid penalty for Sunday’s race at the Marina Bay Circuit.

It happened in final practice on Saturday, ahead of qualifying later in the day. The incident was not shown live by the F1 TV world feed but, speaking on Sky Sports, commentator David Croft suggested Hamilton may have slowed down when Liam Lawson crashed ahead of him before putting his foot down again while the red flags were out.

The incident was noted during the session by race control and, after some deliberation in the stewards’ room, it was confirmed that the matter would be investigated after the end of practice. Hamilton was summoned to a hearing where he gave his side of the story.

If found guilty of having broken the rules around conduct under red flag conditions, which is regarded as a serious safety risk, then the official F1 stewards’ penalty guidelines stipulate a 10-place grid penalty must be handed out. However, the stewards have instead decided to take no further action against Hamilton in this case.

Explaining that decision, the stewards wrote: “During the red flag period following the incident involving Car 30 [Lawson], Hamilton appeared to be travelling at a notably high speed. However, analysis of the telemetry data showed that between the display of the red flag and the entry to the pit lane, Hamilton remained above the required minimum time as stipulated by Article 37.6a of the 2025 FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.

“Regarding the pit lane entry, the car’s speed was marginally higher than that of other cars in comparable situations, but the driver maintained full car control at all times and did not drive in a manner that could be considered unsafe. While the Stewards consider that a greater reduction of speed would have been desirable under the circumstances, it is concluded that there is no evidence of a breach of the applicable regulations.”

Analysing a clip of what happened on Sky after the end of practice, pundit and former F1 racer Anthony Davidson said: “You start to see the red lights flashing in the distance up there, and so he carries on driving slowly and looking around to find out what the moment is that has happened out on track. And that happens at turn seven where you’ve got Lawson’s car by the barrier.

“After that, he then starts to speed up and carries on speeding up through the rest of the lap – pretty much full acceleration under red flag conditions towards turn 10, but I don’t think that’s the issue here. I believe, or we believe, the stewards are looking at the pit lane entry speed and the fact that, under red flags, I don’t think they will be too happy that he did speed up as well.

“I’m in two minds, there. I think that what he did was not dangerous, but if they are unhappy with the speed he is carrying, against other cars on track, then there might be an issue.”

Hamilton ended FP3 eighth on the timesheets, with a best lap time more than four-tenths of a second slower than Max Verstappen who set the benchmark in his Red Bull. The top five was separated by less than one-tenth in an incredibly tight session, with the four McLaren and Mercedes cars all pushing the Dutchman.