The FIA during the Belgian Grand Prix investigated Lewis Hamilton for the incident with George Russell, imposing a 5-second penalty.
Charles Leclerc was investigated and then acquitted for the contact with Oscar Piastri.
Let’s find out from the statements issued by the Federation what were the reasons given for the two episodes and why Hamilton was considered “fully responsible”
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Hamilton spared: only 5 seconds and not 10 seconds penalty
“Approaching Turn 5 during the opening lap, Car 63 attempted an outside overtake on Car 44 and had established a sufficient overlap margin to be entitled to space on track. Car 44 remained on the inside.
During the corner, Car 44 understeered and, despite attempting to avoid Car 63 by applying a steering correction, made contact with the right side of Car 63 with its front left wheel. The Stewards determined that Car 63 remained within the available track space and that the collision was caused by Car 44’s inability to maintain sufficient separation.
The Stewards recognize several mitigating circumstances. Car 44 acknowledged the presence of Car 63, tried to leave the necessary space on track and made a genuine attempt to avoid contact. The collision resulted from a loss of front-end grip rather than an aggressive or deliberate maneuver. Furthermore, it is acknowledged that the incident occurred during the opening lap, under reduced grip conditions and limited maneuvering space.
For these reasons, although Car 44 is fully responsible for the collision, the Stewards consider a 5-second time penalty, rather than the standard 10-second penalty, to be the appropriate sanction in accordance with the FIA Penalty Guidelines.”
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Leclerc acquitted: he did not deliberately push Piastri off
“Approaching Turn 5, Car 81 moved outside to overtake Car 16. Car 81 had a partial overlap with Car 16, but the front axle of Car 81 was not ahead of the front axle of Car 16 and there was no possibility for Car 81 to complete an overtake from that position.
According to the Stewards’ assessment, Car 16 did not deliberately push Car 81 off the track edge. Car 16 followed the ideal line before entering Turn 5, slightly moving left to set up Turn 5, and a side-by-side contact occurred between the two cars.
Given the circumstances, the Stewards decided not to take further action.”
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