Hamilton hit with five-place grid drop for Monza after Zandvoort yellow-flag breach
Lewis Hamilton will start his first Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver with a five-place grid penalty, after the stewards ruled he failed to slow sufficiently under double-waved yellows on the reconnaissance lap to the grid at Zandvoort.
The decision, announced post-race in the Netherlands after Hamilton had already crashed out at the banked Turn 3, carries over to Monza and immediately crimps Ferrari’s home-race momentum. The tifosi will still get their moment when the Scuderia’s new number 44 appears in scarlet at the Temple of Speed, but wherever Hamilton qualifies on Saturday, he’ll be shuffled back five places for Sunday’s start.
Stewards said timing data showed Hamilton only dropped around 20kph compared to his practice laps through the double-waved yellow sector, with a throttle reduction in the 10–20% range and an earlier brake point into the pit lane. That, they concluded, did not meet the threshold of “significantly” slowing under double yellows — the highest caution level before a red flag — although they acknowledged he had made an effort to reduce speed. A heavier sanction was on the table, but the panel trimmed the penalty to five places from a potential 10 due to his partial lift.
Hamilton didn’t hide his surprise at the call. He said he landed back home from the Dutch Grand Prix and only then discovered the outcome, calling the punishment — and accompanying licence penalty points — “pretty hardcore.” Still, the seven-time World Champion added there’s no point dwelling: he’ll take the lesson and move on.
“I was really shocked,” he admitted at Monza. “It’s not black and white — I did lift, just not enough for their liking. It is what it is. I’ll learn from it and keep pushing.”
There’s a cold, practical logic behind the ruling. Those reconnaissance laps funnel 20 cars through marshals, photographers and team personnel lining the pit entry and grid. Calum Nicholas, formerly a mechanic on Max Verstappen’s car and now a regular voice on the F1 paddock beat, sided with the stewards’ stance.
“I’m not usually one for racing penalties, but when it’s safety, that’s different,” Nicholas said. “I’ve stood at the back of the grid waiting for cars. Round that last corner, the drivers have a real responsibility to everyone doing their jobs. I’m not surprised by the penalty.”
For Hamilton, the timing is about as inconvenient as it gets. Monza is Ferrari’s house, and the team had been hoping to convert promising long-run pace into a statement result at home. Hamilton felt he had enough speed at Zandvoort to move forward before his race-ending brush with the banking, and left the Netherlands feeling he and Ferrari had taken a step with their approach.
“I’m gutted for the team,” he said. “I felt like I had the pace on the cars ahead and we were making progress. It was a solid weekend up until that point. To come away with nothing is painful.”
The penalty means Sunday becomes a damage-limitation exercise — or, if the SF-25 sings on low downforce, a chance to put on a show. Overtaking is possible at Monza, and Ferrari rarely needs help finding motivation here. But track position is king, and a five-place drop will likely push Hamilton into midfield traffic that can blunt strategy options and tyre life.
The broader context doesn’t change: in his first season in red, Hamilton is settling into new systems, a new car and a very public spotlight at Ferrari. Monza was always going to be emotional; now it comes with a dose of adversity. He’ll need a clean Saturday, an even cleaner first chicane on Sunday, and the sort of measured aggression that’s made a career out of turning awkward grids into podiums.
As for the rule itself, the message from the stewards is unambiguous: double-waved yellows mean slow down — clearly, demonstrably. Hamilton’s partial lift wasn’t enough for their line in the sand, and the Monza crowd will live with the consequence. The Tifosi came to see a Ferrari charge. They might still get one — it’ll just have to start a little further back.
