Why was Lewis Hamilton fined 15000 euros during Saudi Arabian GP FP2?

The on-track action at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix got underway yesterday with all 20 cars hitting the tracks in all their glory. But for the former seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, the Free Practice 2 session turned out to be one to forget, he was handed a fine of 15000 euros.

During The Free Practice 2 session at the Jeddah Corniche F1 circuit, the drivers were doing fast runs at a certain time, and at that moment, Lewis Hamilton found himself in the firing line. The Brit was on a slow lap and was moving toward the center at Turn 11 to make way for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

However, Mercedes failed to notify the 39-year-old that Williams Logan Sargeant was on a fast lap, with turn 11 being pretty much a blind corner, Hamilton was in the way of Sargeant, and the American was forced to slam on the breaks and take evasive action, otherwise, it could have led to a huge crash.

After the session, the FIA came up with a detailed report regarding the incident, and the crux of it read, as reported by Autosport:

That was a serious failure on the part of the team, particularly given the speeds on this circuit and the nature of turn 11, which is at the end of a series of high-speed corners where driver visibility is impaired. We therefore issue a warning to the driver and impose a fine of €15,000 to the team.

Lewis Hamilton’s take on the overall Saudi Arabian GP Thursday running

While Lewis Hamilton has been smacked with a 15000 euro penalty for his antics during the FP2 Logan Sargeant incident, overall, it was a tough day for him and his team. George Russell had a very strong outing yesterday as he finished the FP2 session in second place behind Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

Russell managed a time of 1.29.057 over a single lap pace and this was good enough to put him ahead of the lights of Max Verstappen. Hamilton, on his end, was only able to manage an eighth-place finish with a time of 1.29.504.

After the session, while dwelling on his outing, Hamilton said, as reported by Autosport:

Difficult day; just lacking confidence in the rear of the car. On the set-up we did some work session to session, changed the car quite a bit but the underlying issue with the rear end that I'm struggling with, so I had a couple of really big moments out there.

During the ongoing 2024 F1 season, Lewis Hamilton has proved second best to his teammate in every department. Considering this, it is going to be fascinating to see how he will bounce back from the upcoming Saudi Arabian GP qualifying session onward.

In case you missed it:

• Christian Horner breaks down how his ‘wife and family’ helped him during the investigation saga
• “Definitely disappointing,” Lewis Hamilton urges F1 to take hold itself accountable over recent controversies

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