Hamilton cleared in Verstappen clash: FIA decision raises questions over racing room and precedent

 

The incident occurred during a three way battle involving Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc into turn one. Hamilton and Verstappen made light contact forcing Verstappen wide and causing him to briefly lose momentum, dropping behind Leclerc. The clash was part of a chaotic opening phase with multiple drivers cutting corners or taking evasive action.

FIA stewards reviewed onboard footage and telemetry from both cars. They conducted that the clash was a “racing incident,” citing both drivers were committed to the corner. Neither driver made an egregious move or failed to leave racing room by regulation standards. No penalties were issued and the incident was noted but investigated further.

Verstappen expressed frustration post race saying: “There was no space. I had to back out or we’d crash.” He also noted that Hamilton re-joined ahead after cutting the corner later in the lap which did result in a separate 10 second penalty. Hamilton meanwhile defended his driving as “hard but fair” adding: “That’s racing. We were all pushing.”

Critics have pointed to recent examples where less contact resulted in penalties, raising questions about the FIA’s consistency. Lando Norris received a five second penalty for forcing George Russell off track at turn four despite minimal contact. The stewards cited lack of racing room and avoidable contact even though both drivers continued without damage. 

Fernando Alonso was penalised for a late dive into turn 11 resulting in light contact with Esteban Ocon. The FIA deemed it “optimistic and avoidable” issuing a time penalty despite the incident being less forceful than Hamilton’s move in Mexico. These precedents suggest that driver intent, positioning and outcome are weighed differently depending on context, something critics argue undermines transparency.

The FIA’s Driving Standards Guidelines, updated this year, emphasises that stewards must consider driver positioning at corner entry and apex. Whether the overtaking move was controlled or “dived in.” The responsibility of the defending driver to avoid contact if the overtaking car is sufficiently alongside. However, these are guidelines, not regulations and stewards retain discretion based on corner type, tyre condition and driver behaviour.