F1 drivers can now be fined up to £870,000 (€1m) for their misdemeanours after the FIA increased the maximum penalty threshold for the sport from £217,000 (€250,000) to better represent the magnitude of the responsibility facing the series.
The previous figure had remained unchanged for 12 years but after the latest meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Geneva earlier this week, the decision has been taken to increase the maximum fine threshold four-fold.
This decision will impact all FIA-sanctioned events, including the World Rally Championship, Formula E and the World Endurance Championship, but these series will have to adhere to a slightly lower threshold than F1.
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Lewis Hamilton also finds himself at the heart of the FIA’s fine conversations after F1’s governing body reopened the investigation into an incident from the Qatar Grand Prix. The legendary Brit was initially fined £34,700 (€50,000) for crossing the track during the race after crashing out on the opening lap.
The FIA’s initial report of the incident stated: “The driver of car 44 (Hamilton) abandoned his car in the gravel and ran back to the pits. He thereby crossed the track that was live at this time and reached the inside edge of the track just seconds before car 63 (Russell) arrived at high speed after exiting the pits.
“He then continued to walk alongside the track until finally exiting the track. The stewards reinforced the fact that crossing a live track can cause extremely dangerous situations and the drivers have to be very cautious about it.”
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However, the stewards have since decided to revisit Hamilton’s mishap in order to set a precedent for other drivers. An FIA spokesperson said: “In view of his role-model status, the FIA is concerned about the impression his actions may have created on younger drivers.”
This debacle has sparked some debate in the F1 paddock with Karun Chandhok posting on the X social media platform: “Not saying this should be condoned but I’m sure Lewis isn’t the first person to do this.
“Didn’t [Logan] Sargeant cross the track just at the previous event in Japan? Bit odd to talk about precedent when other people have done it before. Max [Verstappen] at Monza 2021 is another example I think…”
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