Lewis Hamilton has been punished by the FIA after a dramatic collision with George Russell at the Belgian Grand Prix.
George Russell was involved in a dramatic collision on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix with Lewis Hamiliton, leading to a punishment for the seven-time world champion.
The Mercedes driver has seen his bid for the 2026 drivers’ championship take another hit as he has had to retire from the race this weekend at Spa.
It means that he will receive no points for his world championship bid, seeing him lose ground on his teammate and title rival Kimi Antonelli if the Italian driver were to finish the race.
Before the red lights went out, the gap between the title rivals was 25 points, but this is expected to grow if all goes to plan for Antonelli.
Hamilton appeared to be at fault for the incident; at least that is the reading from the FIA, as they have given the Ferrari driver a five-second penalty for causing the incident.
The seven-time world champion will now serve that penalty when he enters the pit, with his team not being allowed to touch his car until the car has been sat stationary for five seconds.
Hamilton was straight on the team radio to defend his actions in the incident, as he said: “Car crossed over in front of me. I was right behind another car, so I had no front end.”
Russell appeared to be quite emotional in his interview with Sky Sports after the collision, after getting back to the pits following the collision.
He said: "I just got totally swallowed up down the straight," Russell told reporters back in the Spa paddock, before Hamilton was issued with a five-second penalty by the stewards.
"I lost three positions down the straight down into turn 5 and then the incident was a racing incident. Maybe I could have gone a bit wider or he could have braked a bit more.
"The incident wouldn't have happened if I had the speed down the straight. I'm very, very disappointed."
Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc was involved in a collision just a number of laps later at the same corner, as he made contact with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Leclerc would then progress past the Australian at the corner, and it appeared that this had an impact on the McLaren car as Hamilton, who was nearby during the incident, also overtook Piastri within a couple of laps following the incident.
However, while the seven-time world champion got a punishment from the FIA for his collision, Leclerc would not.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images
- Brendan McGilligan
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