Lewis Hamilton's Title Hopes Take Another Hit: The Penalty Problem Behind His 50-Point Gap

Lewis Hamilton's 8th World Championship campaign took another hit as he is now behind the frontrunner Kimi Antonelli by 50 points. Before the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari's Hamilton was 45 points behind—still a large gap but the seven-time world champion had the opportunity to close the difference over the weekend.

Aside from Mercedes' Antonelli, penalties have been Hamilton's biggest obstacle this season. He qualified P2 over the weekend, but had to slide down to P5 after being handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Antonelli was down at P7 as he was also handed the same penalty for a different offence.

Missed Opportunity

On Sunday, McLaren's Lando Norris won the grand prix, his first this year. It has been a challenging season for McLaren, which isn't likely to defend its world title. Max Verstappen finished P2, which at one point, seemed about to be challenged by both Antonelli and Hamilton.

The championship leaders tussled on track and off. Hamilton tried to catch Antonelli on much-fresher tyres as he pitted under Virtual Safety Car. At first, he overtook Antonelli by the pit lane exit but immediately gave the position back as he was found speeding.

According to the stewards, Hamilton's speed was 80.1 kph in the pit lane, which was over the limit by just 0.1 kph. The stewards saw fit to impose a five-second penalty on Hamilton, which relegated him to fifth place behind teammate Charles Leclerc, despite finishing fourth.

Can Hamilton Still Win the Championship?

Hamilton admits he was at fault for failing to convert his advantage to more points. 'Obviously frustrated, disappointed to come away with so little, given the car was good,' he said during the post-game presser. 'The team did a great job, but ultimately these last few races have been costly with mistakes from myself.'

'It's been OK. It's not been perfect from my side, so I've really got to work hard to try to figure out how I can do better in the second half,' he also said. Statistically, Hamilton still has a chance of winning it all with 12 races to go. However, in reality, it's a tall order.

With 12 races to go, a maximum of 300 points can still be won. Hamilton needs to consistently outscore Antonelli in the remaining races, which is an almost impossible task. Antonelli has been quite consistent this season and his large championship lead is borne from seven wins, compared to Hamilton's one.

Penalty Woes

Hamilton's last few races have been marred by penalties. Before the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari was fined after Hamilton was unsafely released from the pit, hitting a mechanic, who was luckily unscathed.

During the Belgian Grand Prix, Hamilton received a five-second penalty for a first-lap collision with former teammate George Russell. Hamilton also received a time penalty in his home race after he was found to have jumped the start of the British Grand Prix.

Despite the mounting challenges, Hamilton is still positive that he and Ferrari can fight. 'I think we've got a car that can compete. Mercedes is still the car to beat... but I do think we've made subtle progress,' said Hamilton, who was far from being in the mix of the world championship last year.