BREAKING: FIA Announce Penalty Verdict for Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll Over…read more
BREAKING: FIA Announce Penalty Verdict for Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll Over…read more
Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll have escaped penalties but received formal warnings from the FIA after overtaking rivals in the pit lane during Friday’s practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.
The incident occurred during a disrupted second free practice session (FP2), where both Hamilton and Stroll were found to have breached race director Rui Marques’s specific instructions regarding pit lane conduct. The rule states that drivers must not overtake others once inside the designated “fast lane” of the pit lane unless a car is clearly experiencing a mechanical issue.
According to the stewards’ report, both drivers “overtook several cars in the fast lane whilst traversing the working lane to the practice start area,” a move that directly violated the regulations. As a result, Hamilton, Stroll, and their teams—Mercedes and Aston Martin, respectively—were summoned and issued formal warnings.
Race director Marques’s event notes clarified that any car entering the fast lane must form up in a line and depart in the order they arrived. A vehicle is officially in the fast lane once its tyres fully cross the solid white line separating it from the inner lane.
While neither driver received a sporting penalty, the FIA’s decision serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining pit lane discipline, especially amid tighter procedural enforcement in 2025’s Formula1 season.
