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The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is one race that has developed a reputation for dramatic moments, and the 2025 edition of the weekend had one on its first day with Lewis Hamilton. The 40-year-old driver was at the center of controversy during the second free practice session after impeding Alex Albon, almost causing a collision.
The Scuderia Ferrari driver, who appeared to be on a slow lap, was occupying the racing line at Turn 17, while Albon—who was on a flying lap—came dangerously close to making contact with him. The incident, which was immediately flagged as a potential impeding, was referred to the stewards, sparking speculation of a possible penalty for Hamilton.
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However, Lewis Hamilton escaped a penalty as the stewards opted to take no further action. Explaining the reason behind the decision, the stewards—as reported by Sky Sports F1—detailed that during the hearing, which featured Hamilton, Alex Albon, and representatives from both teams, the Williams driver said he had his car under control throughout the incident and, while he was impeded, did not consider the situation dangerous.
The stewards' report further noted that Albon stated he had seen Hamilton before approaching the corner but didn’t expect the Ferrari driver to remain on that line as he entered the turn.
Both Albon and Hamilton went on to register lap times in the session, with the Williams driver finishing in 10th place, while the Ferrari driver ended in 13th. The pair, however, will hope to avoid a repeat of such a scenario during the remaining sessions of the Saudi Grand Prix weekend as both qualifying and the main Grand Prix unfold.
Lewis Hamilton speaks on improvement at Saudi Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton previously touched on areas he needs to improve during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The British driver enters the race off the back of his best finish so far for Ferrari — fifth place in Bahrain.
Hamilton had been urged to take a step forward at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit by Ferrari’s team principal, Frederic Vasseur, and he appears to have embraced this rallying call ahead of the race weekend. In his interaction with the media, the Ferrari driver detailed that he needs to get “on top of the circuit”. Speaking to the media, as seen in a video shared to X (formerly Twitter) by the account @fiagirly, the seven-time champion stated:
“My focus this weekend is driving style. Really getting on top of the circuit, getting into the rhythm… This is a circuit, a bit like Monaco, where you have to get into the rhythm as early as possible and just make incremental gains from there and not be overdriving.”
“I’ve got a lot of work to do to adapt the way that I approach corners, but it’s not impossible. Might just take a little bit of time — but hopefully not too long,” Lewis Hamilton concluded.
Lewis Hamilton’s start to life at Ferrari has been laced with a barrage of mixed results. The British driver’s best result for the Maranello outfit was a Sprint race victory at the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
