Lewis Hamilton makes FIA demand as F1 stars left gobsmacked by “ridiculous” rule change.
Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were among the F1 stars who reacted to news that the FIA had quadrupled the maximum fine that can now be handed out to drivers
Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that unless the money is donated to a worthwhile cause, he will not comply with the FIA’s massive new fine system for Formula 1 drivers.
The FIA World Motor Sport Council increased the maximum fine a driver can receive for breaking the rules for the first time in 12 years. However, it wasn’t a small increase—it was quadrupled.
As a result, stewards are now able to fine drivers up to €1 million (£871k). In response to the news, Hamilton urged the FIA to make sure that the funds raised are put to good use.
“When it comes to things like this, we really need to be thinking [about] the message that that sends out to those that are watching,” he said. If they are going to be fining one million euros, let’s make sure that 100 percent of that goes to a cause.
The sports industry as a whole is very lucrative, but there is still much that needs to be done to improve accessibility, diversity, and opportunities for those who would not typically have the chance to participate in a sport like this. They can only obtain that million from me in that manner.
The other drivers struggled to conceal their shock at the magnitude of the increase from Hamilton. It’s a significant sum of money, Charles Leclerc said. “I don’t know what would warrant a fine of a million euros, but it’s more than… I mean, some drivers make less than that,” the speaker said.
Max Verstappen mentioned the fine he received for touching Lewis Hamilton’s car’s rear wing at the 2021
Kevin Magnussen, who earns much less than his aforementioned peers, pointed out that it would be a much bigger deal for him to get such a large fine. “I don’t know what it is to be one million, but that sounds ridiculous,” he said. I mean, Charles can give his watch, but I would disappear, never to be found again.”
The FIA claimed in a statement that the previous limit “does not reflect the current needs of motor sport” and that the fine limit “has not been reviewed nor amended for at least the last twelve years.”
Of all the competitions covered by the governing body, F1 drivers are facing the biggest increase. The new cap for competitors in all other FIA world championship series is 750,000 euros, while the maximum fine for all other FIA-sanctioned events is only half that of Formula 1.
