Lewis Hamilton made an extraordinary start in Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, gaining 11 places as he climbed from 20th to ninth.

Hamilton’s initial launch was strong but the Ferrari truly came alive in the second phase of the start, which saw him gain four places before he even reached turn one. He picked off another five drivers before the next major braking zone at turn four.

Potentially because of a Ferrari tyre-pressure mistake, Hamilton was unable to capitalise on a stunning opening lap. Instead, he started to fall backwards before the switch to dry tyres, complaining of a severe lack of grip.

The FIA shouldn’t have legitimised Lewis Hamilton’s off-track overtake on Oliver Bearman

Hamilton’s task was further complicated by an FIA investigation over his move on Haas’ Oliver Bearman. When he passed his potential Ferrari successor on the run to turn six, he had all four wheels off the track.

Ferrari eventually instructed Hamilton to return the place to Bearman to avoid a penalty, which cost him valuable race time.

“Car 44 clearly had the momentum for the overtake and gained no advantage by going off the track,” the verdict read. “Car 87 moved to the right and Car 44 was pushed off the track to avoid a collision. Car 44 clearly had the momentum for the overtake and gained no advantage by going off the track.”

Watching the onboard footage, it’s difficult to disagree with that account. Hamilton is much faster than the Haas coming out of turn five, and it seems as if Bearman doesn’t see him, which is why he drifts to the right to take the normal racing line before they make minor contact.

But this ruling could set a troubling precedent. Think back to the 2024 US GP, when Lando Norris controversially received a five-second time penalty for passing Max Verstappen while off the track.

The Red Bull driver appeared to release the brake to ensure he got to the apex first, which naturally forced Norris wide.

The circumstances were different – this wasn’t lap one and it was a calculated duel into a slow-speed corner rather than a split-second, reactive pass – but the principle was the same. A driver shouldn’t be allowed to go off the track to make an overtake.

This is clearly a grey area in the rules, which is why Ferrari felt the need to reverse the overtake. But the stewards’ eventual ruling was troubling.

Bearman should not be allowed to defend his position in that manner, nor should Hamilton be allowed to overtake using the run-off.

In MotoGP, race control will often issue a formal instruction for a rider to drop a place after an unlawful manoeuvre, a power that should be used more often in F1. It would have been an appropriate response to Bearman’s misjudgement, which wasn’t severe enough to merit a five-second penalty.

In this particular race, it was merely a footnote, but the next time a driver crosses the white line to make a move and then claims they were forced off the track beforehand, the FIA may find that they have opened a regulatory can of worms.