Lewis Hamilton Hit With Five-Place Grid Penalty Ahead of Ferrari’s Home Race at Monza

Lewis Hamilton will face an uphill battle in his first Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver, after being handed a five-place grid penalty for failing to sufficiently respect double-waved yellow flags at last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.

The penalty, confirmed several hours after the race, means Lewis Hamilton will drop five places from wherever he qualifies at Monza — a major blow as Ferrari gears up for one of its most important weekends of the season at the iconic Temple of Speed.

The Incident at Zandvoort

Lewis Hamilton was placed under investigation before the Dutch GP even began. During his reconnaissance lap, he was judged to have driven too quickly through the pit entry section, where double yellow flags were being waved for safety reasons.

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While data showed he slowed by 20km/h compared to practice, lifted the throttle by 10–20%, and braked 70 meters earlier, the FIA stewards ruled this was not “a significant reduction in speed” as required under F1’s regulations.

The standard punishment for such an infringement is a 10-place grid drop. However, because Hamilton did make some attempt to slow, his penalty was reduced to five grid positions. He also received two penalty points on his super licence — his first of the current 12-month period.

Lewis Hamilton & Ferrari’s Uphill task at Monza

Lewis Hamilton’s Dutch GP Disaster

The grid penalty comes on the back of a difficult Dutch GP for the seven-time world champion. After showing improved pace in practice and qualifying — running closely with teammate Charles Leclerc — Hamilton’s race ended prematurely when he lost control and crashed into the Hugenholtz barrier after just 22 laps.

Despite the error, Lewis Hamilton had sounded upbeat before learning of his penalty, saying his weekend showed “a lot of positives” compared to recent struggles at Spa and Hungaroring. Now, the focus shifts to how he can recover at Monza under the added pressure of Ferrari’s home fans.

 

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Ferrari’s Chaotic Weekend

Ferrari’s Zandvoort outing went from bad to worse, as Charles Leclerc was later forced out of the race after a clash with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli. With both red cars retiring, Ferrari left the Netherlands empty-handed in the constructors’ battle with Mercedes.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc after the Dutch GP Crash

Meanwhile, Leclerc was cleared of wrongdoing in his earlier wheel-to-wheel fight with George Russell, though the contact left the Mercedes driver carrying race-long damage.

Lewis Hamilton admitted the Italian GP would put him “under the microscope” regardless of the result. With Ferrari desperate to deliver at home, a five-place setback will force him into damage limitation mode from the start.

The Monza crowd will no doubt roar for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, but the penalty sets up a dramatic weekend where strategy, overtaking, and resilience will decide whether the Scuderia can salvage glory in front of the Tifosi.