Following his behavior at the Qatar Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was given a hefty fine by F1 stewards, but not because he caused a collision.
Following the Qatar Grand Prix, F1 officials penalized Lewis Hamilton with a €50,000 (£43,000) fine and a non-driving warning.
The seven-time world drivers’ champion driver of Mercedes was at fault for a first-lap collision with teammate George Russell, which disqualified him from the race while Russell took fourth place.
Hamilton’s subsequent actions were the focus of his fine, though.
Despite the race being in progress, the 38-year-old chose to cross the track to return to the pit lane.
A post-race investigation resulted from Hamilton’s choice, which was made just before Russell left the pits.
According to the report, “Hamilton, the driver of Car 44, ran back to the pits after losing control of his vehicle on Lap 1 and exiting the race.”.
“He did so and reached the inside edge of the track just seconds before Car 63 [Russell] came out of the pits at high speed. He then kept on walking alongside the track until he eventually left it.
“During the hearing, the driver of Car 44 was extremely sorry and acknowledged that the circumstances could have been extremely dangerous for both him and the approaching drivers.
The stewards reemphasized to the drivers the need for extreme caution when crossing a live track because it can result in extremely dangerous situations.
“.
Hamilton’s net worth, which is estimated to be around £250 million, won’t be affected by the fine in any way.
Hamilton had said of the collision, “I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility.
I’m sorry to George as well as my team.
“.
Lewis and I, we’ll be fine, Russell then retorted.
“Nothing was done intentionally by either side; we have a great deal of respect for one another.
“.
Leave a Reply