FIA to review Lewis Hamilton’s penalty for crossing a live track at Qatar GP, aims to set a new precedent with a harsher punishment
The FIA had reprimanded Lewis Hamilton along with a €50,000 fine.
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Lewis Hamilton (image via IMAGO)
Lewis Hamilton had an early end to the Qatar GP after the 38-year-old collided with teammate George Russell on the first lap. The seven-time world champion made his way across the track to get back to the pits. This was a direct breach of the regulations. As such, Hamilton faced a reprimand and a hefty fine. However, the FIA will be reinvesting this incident once again.
The stewards called Hamilton after the race to explain his activity. The Mercedes driver received a €50,000 fine, of which €25,000 was suspended for the rest of the season. One week after this incident, the sports governing body announced it would relook into this matter.
The FIA believes that the incident was more severe than how it was perceived initially. However, the sports governing body has clarified that the primary motive is not to impose harsher penalties on Lewis Hamilton. Instead, the purpose is to set a precedent to prevent other drivers from taking such a step in the future.
An FIA spokesperson said, as reported by Motorsport.com, “The FIA notes that Lewis was apologetic during the subsequent stewards hearing in to the incident and acknowledged that the crossing was a serious safety breach. However, in view of his role model status, the FIA is concerned about the impression his actions may have created on younger drivers.”
FIA wants to prevent such a scenario in the future.
Lewis Hamilton is one of the biggest icons in Formula 1. The seven-time world champion is statistically the most successful driver in the sport’s history. As such, the British driver holds immense influence on younger minds who are racing in junior categories. Subsequently, it is necessary for the sports governing body to ensure that this does not happen again.
Lewis Hamilton had recognized that what he had done was dangerous. The Mercedes driver apologized to the stewards post-race at the Qatar GP. Hamilton’s act was dangerous not only for himself but for other drivers on track as well. The FIA had stated, “During the hearing the driver of Car 44 was very apologetic and realized that the situation could have been very dangerous for him as well as the drivers approaching.”
Certainly, the FIA needs to establish a strong precedent for Lewis Hamilton’s incident. No driver should ever make their way across the track while cars are racing against one another. This poses a massive threat to all drivers on the circuit. As such, a strong precedent would discourage drivers across different categories from making such a maneuver.
In case you missed it:
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)