After the chaotic Monaco race that set the course for the 2026 season, the stewards’ decisions ensured that the podium remained unchanged. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, who crossed the line in second, and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who secured his first podium in third position, were cleared of accusations of failing to follow procedures behind the safety car.
The two drivers exceeded the maximum permitted distance of 10 cars in relation to the vehicle in front, as determined by the specific article of the FIA sporting regulations for Formula 1.
The episodes, commented live on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, made narrator David Croft point out that Hamilton clearly slowed the pace of the field while warming up the tires, clearly violating the distance rule.
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle, who noticed Hamilton opening a gap of almost 30 cars, said: “A gap of 10 cars is one of the fundamental rules of this sport.”
“Of course, you can’t measure every last inch while sitting in the cockpit, but you get a pretty good sense of it with the naked eye.”
“Creating such large differences negatively impacts the moment the leading driver starts the race, when the safety car leaves the track, and also affects the competitors behind him.”
After closely examining the teams’ radio communications, telemetry data, circuit positioning systems and footage from the cars’ internal cameras in Monte Carlo, the FIA stewards chose not to impose penalties on any of the drivers. The central reason was the precedent set by a similar case at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix.
In an official statement, the jury explained: “In the past, during Canada 2025, Race Management took into consideration the fact that drivers needed to prepare their tires and power units for the restart of the race.”
“Accordingly, teams have been advised that a certain level of flexibility and tolerance will be demonstrated in such situations for safety reasons.”
“In light of this precedent, no criminal prosecution was considered necessary.”
At the aforementioned 2025 Canadian GP, Red Bull filed two separate complaints against Mercedes driver George Russell, alleging dangerous driving and unsportsmanlike conduct in front of Max Verstappen during the safety car period.
However, the stewards dismissed Red Bull’s complaints and Russell retained his victory.