Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll warned for disobeying race director's pit lane instruction at Japanese GP

Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll were formally disciplined by Formula 1 stewards at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix when both drivers failed to comply with clear instructions provided by race director Rui Marques on the behavior of the drivers in the pit lane. Although both drivers broke the sporting code, they did not incur a sporting or financial penalty and instead received formal warnings from the stewards, as well as their respective teams.

F1 stewards caution Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll following procedural violation during turbulent Suzuka practice
Suzuka Circuit 's second free practice session was marked by several red flag interruptions, starting with a high-speed accident involving Jack Doohan, whose Alpine was badly damaged. Stoppages later were caused by Fernando Alonso running off track and a small grass fire that was the result of sparks falling on dry patches on the sides of the circuit, made volatile by intense gusts of wind.

Read our full report on a disrupted second practice session, which featured several red flags 📝👇#F1 #JapaneseGP https://t.co/kivcW5mDlO

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 4, 2025

Both Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll were caught having passed other vehicles in the overtaking lane, which led to their summoning before the stewards after the session, who said the drivers had violated Article 12.2.1 of the International Sporting Code , which requires acquiescence in the race director's orders. Though the infraction didn't call for grid penalties or monetary fines, it stressed the significance of following even procedural rules in high-stakes sessions.

Despite the incident, Lewis Hamilton was optimistic about the day's proceedings. Racing for Scuderia Ferrari in his debut season outside Mercedes, the seven-time champion opined that Suzuka reminded him of why he enjoys the sport.

“It's been a really nice day. This track is awesome. It never ceases to amaze you when you get on the circuit,” he said and acknowledged there’s still performance to be unlocked from the car, “It's quite gusty, so you get a big headwind through The Esses and that is when the track is the fastest, but it felt great. We got through all the program; we got some performance we need to pick up. We are not the quickest at the moment but I think it's a good baseline. We have an incredible crowd here this weekend, first time seeing the support here for Ferrari. Generally, the sessions went well. We got through all the sessions. A bit worrying to see the crash at turn one, glad to see [Doohan] is okay.”

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As the season goes on in 2025, minor transgressions such as Hamilton and Stroll's pit lane error will be reminders of how thin the margins can become—both on and off the circuit. With each practice session providing useful data, Ferrari and Aston Martin will be eager to tighten up compliance in the future. More precision, both on timing screens and in pit processes, will be expected as the title fight becomes more intense.