F1 drivers can now face fines of up to £870,000 (€1m) for misbehavior, after the FIA raised the maximum penalty threshold for the sport from £217,000 (€250,000) to better reflect the magnitude of the series’ responsibilities.
The previous sum had been stable for 12 years, but following the last World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva earlier this week, the decision was made to quadruple the maximum fine threshold.
This ruling affects all FIA-sanctioned events, including the World Rally Championship, Formula E, and the World Endurance Championship, but these series must comply to a somewhat lower standard than F1.
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.”
The stewards, however, have chosen to revisit Hamilton’s mishap in order to set a precedent for future drivers. According to a representative for the FIA, “In view of his role-model status, the FIA is concerned about the impression his actions may have created on younger drivers.”
This saga has prompted some discussion in the F1 paddock, with Karun Chandhok writing on the X social media platform: “I’m not saying this should be tolerated, but Lewis isn’t the first person to do it.”
“Didn’t [Logan] Sargeant just cross the track at the last event in Japan?” It’s strange to talk about precedent when others have done it before. I believe Max [Verstappen] at Monza 2021 is another example…”
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