Why Lewis Hamilton avoided second Belgian GP penalty after scary mechanic accident

The Stewards heard from the team representative and reviewed video evidence. As Car 44 was being released from its pit stop, a mechanic stepped in the path of the front right tyre as the F1 Car moved forward. He fell but was not injured. 

The team explained the incident occurred in the context of a complex and unusual combination of circumstances. HAM had been issued a 5 second time penalty for a driving infringement which had to be served before work could commence on the F1 Car. LEC was in his pit box at the point HAM entered the pit lane. HAM told his engineer that he wanted a front wing adjustment but that was not conveyed to the super controller. 

HAM came into his pit box, served the time penalty and at the end of the 5 seconds one member of the team announced “Go” and then “0.6 degrees”, the former being an instruction to commence the pit stop and the latter being an instruction for a wing adjustment. The tyre change was completed, the jack-man dropped the F1 Car and the super controller activated the green light signal for Car 44 to move off. 

Just as the driver moved off, another mechanic with a front wing tool moved forward into the path of the front right tyre. Before he stepped forward he had his head down looking at the tool and did not see the green light. The team acknowledged that for Car 44 to have been released in these circumstances was unsafe and attributed the error to an inappropriately late instruction for the wing adjustment, a lack of clear communication and the mechanic’s failure to notice the green light. 

The team committed to undertaking a review of their pit stop procedures to ensure an incident such as this will not be repeated. The Stewards determined that the driver was in no respect at fault. Indeed, the driverrealised what had occurred as soon as he commenced to move off and immediately stopped until the mechanic was clear. 

Far from resulting in a sporting advantage, the incident brought about a sporting disadvantage for Car 44 which was delayed in its pit stop. In the circumstances, the incident did not justify a sporting penalty but did justify a significant fine on the Competitor given that procedural failures of this nature prejudice the safety of mechanics. 

The Stewards took into account the unusual combination of circumstances which contributed to the confusion within the team – circumstances which would not be in the usual contemplation of the team. For this reason, the Stewards determined to suspend part of the fine but on condition that the team conduct a review of their procedures and submit a report to the FIA outlining remedial steps to be taken.