Lewis Hamilton's been racking up penalties at an alarming rate, and now he's facing some pointed criticism from an unlikely source. Johnny Herbert, the former FIA steward, reckons Hamilton's latest five-second penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix is entirely his own doing. The Mercedes driver got pinged for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit by just 0.1 km/h, and Herbert's having none of the complaints.

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Hamilton's been vocal about the situation, claiming he's getting penalized at every opportunity and suggesting there's inconsistency in how the stewards apply the rules. He's even mentioned that the FIA admitted one penalty, his false start at Silverstone, shouldn't have been handed out. But Herbert's perspective is straightforward, no sympathy offered. He says Hamilton released the pit-lane limiter a fraction too early, which is a driver error, pure and simple. According to Herbert, the rules are there in black and white, and the stewards have got it right.

What's interesting is Herbert's broader defense of the stewardship. He's stressed that you can't penalize drivers based on who they are or whether you like them, which seems to be part of what Hamilton's hinting at. The four stewards work closely together and follow established guidelines, Herbert insists. Consistency matters, and he reckons they're actually doing an excellent job. It's not personal, it's procedure.

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Herbert did throw in a cheeky observation though. He suggested that the Lewis Hamilton of a decade ago probably wouldn't have made this mistake. The 41-year-old Ferrari driver needs to stop making errors and start being more careful with his pit-lane exits. No excuses, no blaming the stewards, just better driving from Hamilton going forward. Four penalties in three races is a rough stretch by any measure, but Herbert sees it as a wake-up call rather than a steward problem.

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This all came after drivers and the FIA had formal talks at the Hungarian Grand Prix about penalty consistency and decision-making. Hamilton's frustrations are understandable given the frequency of these penalties, but Herbert's argument is that the onus is on the driver to adapt and avoid putting themselves in these situations in the first place.

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