Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate George Russell smashed into each other at the first corner, after which the seven-time world champion incurred the wrath of the F1 stewards
Lewis Hamilton has been fined €25,000 (£21,640) for crossing a live race track during the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver was also given a formal reprimand and has a further fine, suspended for the remainder of the season, of the same value.
The stewards said the Mercedes drivers was “very apologetic” for crossing the track after his race-ending collision with his team mate. George Russell passed by “at high speed” as Hamilton walked back to the pits.
“After crashing out of the race [on] lap one, the driver of car 44 [Hamilton] abandoned his car in the gravel and ran back to the pits,” said the stewards in a statement. “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.”
Hamilton “was very apologetic and realised that the situation could have been very dangerous for him as well as the drivers approaching,” the stewards noted.
“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. In addition to imposing a significant fine (which is suspended in parts), the stewards also reprimand the driver bearing in mind that receiving a certain number of reprimands during a season will draw a significant driving penalty in accordance with Article 18.2 of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.”
Hamilton was also given a suspended fine last year, of €10,000, for a parc ferme violation at the Austrian Grand Prix. He did not repeat the infringement, which two other drivers also committed, and so did not have to pay the fine.
In 2021 he was fined €5,000, and given a suspended €20,000 fine, for disconnecting his seat belts while returning to the pits at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The stewards also took time to investigate the crash itself, for which Hamilton had already publicly accepted responsibility. For that, though, they felt no need to take any further action as they came to the conclusion that “no driver was wholly at fault”.