The Monaco Grand Prix again brought a controversial moment in Formula 1, with an incident between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen during the qualification that led to a fierce response from the Dutchman. Hamilton, who rides his first season at Ferrari, received a punishment of three grid places for hindering Verstappen in Q1, causing him to drop from P4 to P7. Verstappen therefore moved on to P4. Afterwards, Verstappen did not point to Hamilton, but the Ferrari team as a culprit, due to a crucial communication error. This incident, combined with McLaren’s recent punishment for manipulating tire temperatures, holds the Formula 1 world in its grip and feeds the tensions between the top teams.

The incident took place at the Massenet turn, where Hamilton rode on a slow round and Verstappen hindered during a fast lap. Hamilton’s racing engineer, Riccardo Adami, wrongly reported that Verstappen delayed, which made Hamilton returned to the racing line and forced Verstappen to break down his round. Verstappen expressed his frustration about the team radio with the words: “F ***, Woah! Lewis!” Hamilton, in turn, reacted irritated to his team: “You said he delayed, damn it!” After the session, Hamilton stated that a possible glitch in Ferrari’s GPS data was the cause, so his team thought that Verstappen was not on a fast lap. Verstappen, who labeled the incident as “massive obstacle”, spoke after qualifying with Hamilton and emphasized that he did not blame the driver. “I immediately saw that the team gave him wrong information. This is not Lewis’s fault, but Ferrari’s wrong,” he told Sky Sports.

The FIA ​​stewards investigated the incident and ruled that Hamilton’s action, although unintentionally, hindered Verstappen. Despite the Ferrari communication error, Hamilton was punished with a decrease in three places on the grid, in line with earlier precedents such as Verstappens a place penalty in Qatar 2024 for a less serious incident. As a result, Verstappen, Racing Bulls-Rookie Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin each shifted a place. Hamilton’s seventh starting position makes his race in Monaco, where catching up is virtually impossible, a big challenge. Verstappen, who struggles in Monaco with the weaknesses of Red Bull in slow turns, benefits from the situation and gets a better chance to fight for a podium place.

Verstappen’s criticism of Ferrari was sharp. “It is incredible that such an experienced team makes these kinds of mistakes,” he said after qualifying. “Lewis normally always does his best to get out of the way, but if your team gives you wrong data, you can’t do much.” He also pointed to the precedent effect of penalties: “If you get away with this, I would be surprised.” His comments reflect a broader frustration about the inconsistency of FIA decisions, a sentiment that is shared by many fans on social media. Some praised the sporting exchange between Verstappen and Hamilton, who spoke with each other after the session in Parc Fermé and handled the case professionally.

This incident comes at a time when Ferrari is already under pressure. Hamiltons starts with the team, with a difficult crash in FP3 in Monaco and earlier disappointing qualifications in Miami and Imola, where both Ferrari drivers did not go beyond Q2. Despite a strong fourth place in the race in Imola, Ferrari lags behind Red Bull and McLaren in the constructors’ championship. The recent punishment of McLaren, after proof of Red Bull about the manipulation of tire temperatures, has further tightened the competition. McLaren lost 10 points in the championship and has to adjust her brake drums, which may affect their speed in Monaco. This offers Red Bull and Verstappen an opportunity to increase their lead, while Ferrari is struggling with consistency.

The Grand Prix of Monaco, with its strategic complexity and new two -top rule, promises an intense battle. Verstappen will want to use his improved starting position, while Hamilton is fighting to score points from P7. The rivalry between Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren continues to dominate Formula 1, both technically and sporty. While the teams are preparing for the race, the question remains how Ferrari can improve its internal processes to avoid these types of errors. For now, Monaco keeps spotlights aimed at Verstappen and Hamilton, whose professional relationship is a bright spot in a further heated battle.