Hamilton reprimanded for not slowing down at yellow flag

Nov 8, 2025 | Formula 1

Stewards issue reprimand after Leclerc's spin

Lewis Hamilton was reprimanded after he did not visibly slow down at a double yellow flag during sprint qualifying in Brazil. The situation arose when his teammate Charles Leclerc turned briefly at the exit of turn 10, when the double yellow flag was shown.

What exactly happened

Hamilton was eliminated in the second session of qualifying. He will start Saturday's sprint from spot 11. The stewards concluded that he had broken the rules by not reducing his speed sufficiently. Nevertheless, he was not given a grid penalty.

Reason for reprimand rather than punishment

According to the stewards, the short duration of the signal played a role. The left warning panel was lit for only a fraction of a second, just as Hamilton turned into the corner. Nevertheless, the stewards felt he should have noticed he was in a yellow sector and clearly had to lower his speed.

Exquisite telemetry showed that Hamilton hesitated when reopening the throttle, but did not lose enough speed as required. For consistency with previous decisions, the stewards opted for a reprimand instead of the usual five-place grid penalty.

Response from Hamilton

Hamilton indicated during the hearing that he had not seen the left warning panel. He looked more to the right as he entered the corner and saw both Leclerc's car and a green signal at the exit point. He said he is now on 11 and will try to make the best of the sprint from there.

• Incident: Leclerc turned at turn 10, double yellow flag was shown.
• Hamilton: not enough speed reduced according to stewards.
• Telemetry: hesitation when accelerating, but no obvious speed reduction.
• Decision: reprimand instead of five-place grid penalty.
• Starting spot sprint: Hamilton on P11.

What does this mean for the sprint

Starting from 11 is a tricky position. Hamilton said he wants to keep having fun and will try to move forward. For the championship, this reprimand changes little, but it is another setback in a difficult season for him.

Piastri on his troubles in Austin and Mexico

Nov 7, 2025 | Formula 1

Summary

Oscar Piastri showed a marked decline since Baku. Where he had previously performed strongly, his speed stalled in Austin and Mexico. His teammate Lando Norris picked up ground during that period and leads the championship.

What happened

In Baku, Piastri crashed hard into the wall. He then collided with Norris during the sprint in Austin. In Mexico, he got no further than spot five while Norris dominated. Piastri called his sudden lack of speed a conundrum.

Conspiracy theories and the team response

Some pointed at the team and claimed McLaren would favour Norris. Piastri slammed those accusations. He said he respects team principles. McLaren leaves both drivers free to fight for the championship.

Zak Brown, the team's CEO, previously indicated that he would rather lose the championship than favour one driver. Piastri says the team is encouraging him to stand up for himself and that nothing fundamental needs to be changed.

The real cause: tyres and driving style

Piastri did deep self-examination. He attributes many of his problems to the Pirelli tyre selection for recent races. The compound helped move towards two softer compounds and one harder tyre. That combination called for different driving behaviour.

Austin and Mexico had different requirements from previous hot, slippery races, according to Piastri and the team. There, you had to continuously drive differently. That was new and required bigger adjustments than he had needed to make earlier this season.

• Tyre composition: more soft tyres in the set-up.
• Weather and track surface: higher temperatures and less grip.
• Driving style: more adaptive, continuous and consistent.

Experience and technical factors

Piastri is only in his third season in Formula 1. He acknowledges that lack of experience can play a role. Sometimes he underestimates how much adaptation certain circuits require.

There also remains an open question about different front-wheel suspensions. Norris has been driving with a different front wheel configuration for some time. That change helped him improve steering feel earlier in the season. Piastri does not rule out the possibility of that having an impact, but has not yet found conclusive evidence of it.

Mentality: pursuer versus pursued

Piastri says the mental change from leader to chaser does not have a big effect. The points difference is small. He wants to keep taking the same risks as before. His focus is on adjusting and finding the right tools in the car.

The rise of Norris

Norris is visibly improving. He is working more on his preparation and his mental approach. After problems earlier this season, he took steps to be more emotionally stable. He says himself that the progress is mainly due to hard work and a good team around him.

Norris also admits that he sometimes takes a little more risk because he now has less to lose. But he stresses that the results come mainly from work and improvement, not just a different mindset.

What Piastri is doing now

Piastri looks for answers and adjusts his driving style where necessary. He does not want to adjust too much and thereby lose something that worked well before. He now has directions, but admits not all the pieces of the puzzle are in place.

His plan is clear: understand what the car and tyres demand, practise with those adjustments and try to get back to his old level as soon as possible.

Hamilton demands clarity and accountability from FIA

Nov 7, 2025 | Formula 1

Hamilton demands transparency after Mexico incidents

Lewis Hamilton says the FIA needs to provide more clarity on its decisions. He is reacting to the commotion surrounding the start of the Mexican Grand Prix. Many drivers were surprised that several drivers were not penalised after driving on the grass for part of the first corner series.

Who were involved?

Among the drivers who attracted attention were Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes). They cut off the first corner combination and then merged back in. Some thought this gave them an advantage. Yet penalties did not always follow.

Hamilton did receive penalty

Hamilton himself received a 10-second penalty later in the race. That was because he drove through the grass at turn 4 in a fight with Verstappen. That happened shortly after Verstappen had done the same at Turn 2. Hamilton says he does not understand why the penalties are so variable.

His criticism of the FIA

He says there is little clarity on why decisions are made. He cites lack of transparency and accountability. He also complains about the closed manner in which some decisions are made. According to Hamilton, this needs to change. After all, the outcome of such decisions can change races or even championships.

Other reactions from the field

George Russell said he was very surprised that some drivers got away without penalty. He particularly felt the corner combination was problem-born. According to him, there is only one racing line at turns 2 and 3. This makes racing there difficult. He suggested major changes to the corner combination. He said he had already discussed this shortly before the race weekend.

Fernando Alonso was also angry. He said that if the track does not change, he might not take the first corner at all next year. He referred to a similar situation in Sochi in 2021 and also mentioned Ste Devote in Monaco as an example of a place where everyone is in the same boat.

Wider problem according to Hamilton

Hamilton hinted at previous instances where FIA decisions had a major impact. He mentioned the controversial outcome of the 2021 Abu Dhabi title fight and the actions of then race director Michael Masi. His point: the FIA and its decision-makers weigh careers and championships. That is why clear accountability is important.

What needs to be done?

• Clear and predictable rules for track limits at the start.
• More transparent communication on penalty measures and decisions.
• Quick assessment of whether Mexico's turn combination needs adjustment.
• Consistent application of penalties by match officials.

Opinions in the F1 peloton are clear. Many drivers want quick improvements. Without more clarity, dissatisfaction will remain. And with growing doubts about decisions, final results and championships are at stake.