Will Lewis Hamilton face penalty for not attending the Formula 1 Championship ceremony?
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Lewis Hamilton
The 2021 Formula 1 ended in a bit of a controversy, as the legendary title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen came to and end, with the Dutch driver reigning supreme. After a long and hard season however, the conditions for the ending of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix were not ideal to say the least.
As the last lap of the Abu Dhabi GP took off after a yellow flag, strategy paid key for drivers. Verstappen, who came out on fresh softs ahead on Hamilton’s worn out hard tyres took the championship with ease. But the yellow flag and allowing lapped cars to unlap themselves caused quite a bit of controversy, as the decision taken by Masi was debated by many.
While Mercedes did raise 2 complaints which were rejected, and even considered an appeal, it was Verstappen who remained champion as he picked up his trophy on Thursday in Paris. However, Lewis Hamilton and team Mercedes were nowhere to be seen at the event since they did not attend it.
Lewis Hamilton Could Face Sanctions for not Attending the Ceremony
Article 6.6 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations states “the drivers finishing first, second and third in the championship must be present at the annual FIA prizegiving ceremony.” The New FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said that he did sympathise with Hamilton’s frustration regarding the race result. It will however, be up to Ben Sulayem to decide what will happen of Hamilton for not adhering to the rules.
“As a driver I feel emotional,” said Ben Sulayem to RaceFans. “But at the end of the day rules are rules. So we are going to look into there, decide the rules there to be employed, was he in breach, I have to look into it.” Sulayem said that he needs to familiarise himself with the matter before making a decision on the situation. “But, if there was any breach, I cannot – just a few hours now I’ve been president – just start giving answers without going back to the facts,” concluded the President.
Also read: Max Verstappen will never join Mercedes as Helmut Marko indicates one race ‘destroyed’ chances
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Saivee Phatak
(1164 Articles Published)