Hamilton cleared after Canadian Sprint investigation

Lewis Hamilton avoided any FIA sanction after stewards took no further action over an alleged leaving-the-track-and-gaining-an-advantage incident in the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix Sprint.

The Ferrari driver finished an eventful 24-lap race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve under investigation after an unseen incident at Turn 13, part of the final chicane. Stewards later ruled that Hamilton’s trip through the section did not give him a lasting advantage over Oscar Piastri.

In their official decision document, the stewards said they reviewed "positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, team radio and in-car video evidence" and found that "Car 44 was in front of Car 81 on the approach to Turn 13 and left the track, drove through the chicane and rejoined in front of Car 81."

They added that "this incident differs from the previous incident in this Session involving Cars 27 and 30 in that Car 81 was not in an overtaking position on Car 44." On that basis, the panel concluded that "Car 44 was not deemed by the Stewards to be 'defending' its position, and hence was not deemed to gain a lasting advantage, consistent with the Driving Standards Guidelines."

The investigation had left Hamilton facing a post-Sprint stewards appearance after a moment that was not shown on the official Formula 1 broadcast, creating uncertainty over whether his result would be revised.

Hamilton’s Sprint had already unraveled on the final lap, when he dropped from fourth to sixth as Piastri and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc both got through in the fight to the flag. Hamilton said after the race, "Piastri got alongside me into the last corner and basically overtook me, and then through that lost position to Charles."

The no-action verdict means Hamilton keeps sixth place in the Sprint classification, with the FIA deciding that the Turn 13 shortcut changed neither his defense against Piastri nor the final order on a lasting basis.