Lewis Hamilton’s bid to chase down Kimi Antontelli in the Formula One Driver’s Championship suffered a blow after a fifth-placed finish in Hungary.

The seven-time world champion had been on course for fourth, only to be hit with a late five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. That dropped him to fifth, with teammate Charles Leclerc less than five seconds behind as they took the chequered flag after 70 laps of action at the Hungaroring.

With it his third Grand Prix in a row with a five-second penalty, the Brit revealed his thoughts as the FIA explained why he was punished.

Penalties Have Cost Hamilton Dearly This Season

Despite already surpassing his points tally for the whole of last season and sitting second in the standings going into the summer break, things could have been even better for Hamilton.

After winning his first race for Ferrari in Barcelona and finishing a respectable fifth in a difficult race in Austria, Hamilton has been faced with far more setbacks over the past three races.

In his home Grand Prix at Silverstone, he jumped the start, handing him a five-second penalty which massively hurt his race. That was a race that teammate Charles Leclerc went on to win. Hamilton had to settle for third.

As the action headed to Belgium, a lap one incident where Hamilton made contact with George Russell saw the latter spin out of the race. The stewards once more handed him a five-second penalty which likely denied him another podium.

Then, in Hungary, Hamilton had qualified in second, narrowly pipped by Lando Norris to pole position. However, he was judged to have impeded Oscar Piastri as the Australian sought to begin his final lap. That led to a three-place grid penalty to start Sunday’s race.

Seeking to make amends, Hamilton started the race well, jumping up to fourth but was unable to pass Max Verstappen. He managed to undercut the Dutchman after the first round of pit stops, only for his former title rival to get back past him.

Despite that, he had looked on course for the podium only for a late virtual safety car to lead Ferrari to call him into the pits. That saw him surrender track position, as he had been running in second and dropped to fourth, and commit the penalty that cost him another spot in the final standings.

Learning of his penalty, Hamilton raged:

Why Hamilton was Punished at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Hamilton’s latest penalty came because he exceeded the pit lane speed limit by 0.1km/h.

In a short statement, the FIA explained the pit lane speed limit had been set at 80km/h for the event, while noting: “Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the stewards.”

Some fans had suggested Ferrari should try and appeal, given the events at the Monaco Grand Prix earlier in the season. There, a host of drivers were given penalties for speeding in the pit lane – including Hamilton.

Pierre Gasly of Alpine finished on the podium on track, but was subject to two five-second penalties that dropped him to seventh. However, Alpine requested a right of review that was successful, with the penalties rescinded.

That was down to errors when it came to measuring the speeds of cars at the pit lane entrance.

However, Ferrari Team Principal, Fred Vasseur, said after the Hungarian Grand Prix that Hamilton had activated the speed limiter slightly earlier than he should have, leading to the penalty. It therefore seems unlikely there will be any appeal, leaving Hamilton looking to reset and go again as Formula 1 now heads into its summer break.

Lionel Messi has learned whether he will face a suspension along with an Argentine teammate following the 2026 World Cup.

The 39-year-old was unable to guide his country to back-to-back World Cup titles as La Albiceleste were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the final. That game was marred by controversy, as several Argentina players and staff members got physically and verbally involved with opponents.

FIFA opened an investigation into the chaos that followed the full-time whistle, which Messi stayed well clear of. The greatest footballer of all-time has instead learned whether he’ll be handed a suspension for Inter Miami once he returns from his post-World Cup holiday.

Lionel Messi to Skip MLS All-Star Game

REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

A rule agreed between FIFA and FIFPRO allows players at least 21 days of rest at the end of any season, including after the World Cup. It means Messi and his clubmate Rodrigo De Paul wouldn’t be able to make an appearance for Inter Miami until August.

The MLS All-Star game, where an XI made of the league’s best players takes on LIGA MX All-Stars, will be played on July 29th at Bank of America Stadium. This will be the third successive All-Star match without Messi.

He missed the 2024 match due to an injury picked up in the Copa America final, before he and Jordi Alba pulled out of the 2025 clash on the day of the fixture. The MLS responded by handing both one-game bans.

However, Messi and De Paul will avoid punishment this year due to their participation in the World Cup final. FIFPro, the global players’ union, established specific player welfare protections. A statement made by the MLS explained:

Messi and De Paul Replacements Decided

REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda

The MLS had to put forward four replacements as Chicago Fire’s Mbekezeli Mbokazi has been replaced by Philip Zinckernagel of Chicago Fire.

Guilherme, a Houston Dynamo forward, has been drafted in. So have Yannick Bright (Inter Miami) and Andres Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps). Sebastian Berhalter, who played for the USMNT at the World Cup, is unlikely to participate as he’s moving to Middlesbrough.

Tottenham Hotspur have received a potential blow in their bid to sign one of their top transfer targets, after Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Barcelona have opened talks for him.

After two demoralising Premier League campaigns that ended in successive 17th-placed finishes, expectations and excitement are building ahead of the 2026-27 season for Tottenham.

New manager Roberto De Zerbi steered the club to safety last term, and he is now working with club chiefs to ensure they have a squad that will be nowhere near the bottom three again in the upcoming campaign.

Spurs have already added half-a-dozen new faces to their squad before pre-season started, although the Italian has confirmed that he still wants to add more attacking players to his squad ahead of the summer window closing on September 1.

Romano: Barcelona Open Talks to Sign Junior Kroupi

via Reuters

In a brand-new update posted on his official YouTube channel on Monday afternoon, Romano issued an update on Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi, who is attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Tottenham are said to be targeting a move for the young French forward even if they land top winger target Savinho from Manchester City, but now they have been joined in the race by Barcelona.

According to the Italian journalist, the Catalan giants have held discussions with both the player’s camp and the Cherries over a move.

He said: “One name to watch in the next weeks of transfer window is Junior Kroupi, the striker from Bournemouth.

“According to my information, Barcelona opened talks with people close to Kroupi and spoke also to Bournemouth about Kroupi as a possibility upfront. So Barcelona took some information and made some calls to understand the situation.

“He’s a player they appreciate. So for sure, the name of Kroupi is a name to keep under consideration for Barcelona. The problem is that this deal is also very complicated because Bournemouth don’t want to sell the player this summer. Bournemouth insist on keeping Kroupi at the club this summer, and so it’s not easy for Barcelona.”

Tottenham Move Into Pole Position to Sign £70m Star

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

Reports on Sunday claimed that Tottenham have now moved to the front of the queue to sign Savinho from City, with negotiations over a deal ‘well advanced’.

Serie A giants AC Milan are also in the race for the Brazil international after failing with an ambitious approach to sign his City teammate Phil Foden, who has since signed a new long-term contract to stay at the Etihad.

City are said to be open to letting Savinho leave the club this summer after rejecting Spurs’ advances 12 months ago, but they want to land their own targets first.

One recent report suggested that the north Londoners have made a £70m offer for the 22-year-old, as they look to land De Zerbi’s number one left-winger target.