Lewis Hamilton received a five‑second penalty for causing a collision with George Russell on the opening lap at Spa‑Francorchamps, a ruling upheld by FIA stewards.
First‑lap chaos at Spa
Russell started third but an electrical deployment failure left him vulnerable as the field swamped him. On the first corner, Hamilton, riding a burst of understeer, clipped Russell’s Ferrari, sending the British driver into the gravel and out of the race.
Montoya backs the decision
Former champion Juan Pablo Montoya, who crossed the finish line in 2022, said the stewards were justified. “George was under control ahead of Lewis through the corner and gave Lewis enough room, and Lewis could not hold his line,” Montoya told the F1 TV post‑race show. “Was it on purpose? No, not at all. But it still caused the incident, which is why the penalty was applied.”
Brundle’s split view
Commentator Alex Brundle added that a collision in the opening lap could be penalised if the cars were stationary, but noted that “on the first lap with everyone on cold tyres, we’ll differ across the panel.” He pictured Russell, coming from behind, that on any other lap would see a penalty.
Knock‑on effect on the title chase
Russell’s exclusion dropped him 50 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli in the 2026 standings. It represented the second retirement of the season for the Red Bull driver that was said to be out of his control.
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