SQ1 incident referred to the stewards
Max Verstappen is being investigated for allegedly overtaking Lewis Hamilton under yellow flags during the first segment of Sprint Qualifying in Singapore on Friday, 9 October 2026. Hamilton reported the overtake on the radio, according to Grande Prêmio. Reuters places the incident in the context of Sergio Pérez's crash, before the red-flag interruption.
What the FIA summons say
Documents 21 and 22 identify the alleged overtake of car 44 by car 3 at 20:35 Singapore time, or 15:35 in Romania. They cite a possible breach of Article 2.5.5 b) of Appendix H to the International Sporting Code. Verstappen and Hamilton, together with Red Bull and Ferrari representatives, were summoned for 22:15 local time, equivalent to 17:15 in Romania. The summons do not say that Hamilton committed an overtake and do not establish the outcome of the hearing.
The rule: slow down and do not overtake
Appendix H requires drivers to reduce speed under yellow flags and prohibits overtaking between the first yellow signal and the green signal after the incident. Double yellow flags require a significant reduction and readiness to stop. These are the general rules; the summons do not specify the exact signalling configuration in this case. We do not assign an automatic penalty before the stewards' decision.
First in qualifying is not the final grid
The FIA's provisional classification places Verstappen first with 1:31.156, 0.120 seconds ahead of George Russell. Hamilton is sixth. That document records the session order; it is not a yellow-flag ruling. Any penalty must be verified in the document imposing it, not inferred merely from an investigation being opened.
Editorial verification status
When reviewing the FIA documents on 9 October at 18:27 Romanian time, APEX Paddock did not identify a published decision on this alleged infringement. This is not confirmation that Verstappen has been cleared. This article distinguishes the reported incident, the official summons and the investigation's still-unconfirmed outcome.
