Lewis Hamilton could not comply with the FIA’s “obscene” rule change, according to a release from the agency.

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton was left unhappy after the FIA announced a drastic rule change last month.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, has made an effort to defend the decision to quadruple the maximum penalty in Formula 1. In the event that a driver is found guilty of a serious offense, they may now face fines of up to €1 million (£870,000). However, specifics regarding the kind of incident that would result in such an enormous fine have not been disclosed.

Last month, the FIA World Motor Sport Council declared that they had increased the maximum penalty from €250,000 to €500,000. Many drivers who voiced their opinions on the subject were perplexed by the lack of information regarding what would constitute a penalty of this kind.

Quadrupling the maximum fine so quickly was also labelled ‘obscene’ by some and criticised by several drivers, who believed that the figure is now unreasonable. However, Ben Sulayem has attempted to explain why the organisation has taken the decision to change the rules.

He told Speedcafe: “The price of everything has gone up. The teams are now talking about billions in terms of what each team is worth, and we’ve still not improved our regulations dating back to Jurassic Park.

“Go and pay is not what we are saying. “Don’t make these unnecessary penalties,” is what we’re saying. You won’t get it if you don’t try. If you abide by the rules, no one will force you to do anything. The purpose of the rules is to be followed and enforced.
Then the FIA asked Ben Sulayem what would make them fine €1 million, but the chief felt that only stewards could really respond to that. Following the announcement of the rule change, Lewis Hamilton made it clear that he would only ever pay the FIA such a large fee if he believed the money would be used wisely; if not, he would not be subject to the maximum penalty.

We really need to consider the message we send to people who are watching when it comes to things like this, the Mercedes star said. “Let’s ensure that 100% of the fine—if a million dollars is assessed—is donated to a worthy cause.

The industry as a whole is very profitable, but there is still much that needs to be done to improve accessibility, diversity, and opportunities for those who wouldn’t typically be able to shine. There are a plethora of global causes. They can only obtain that million dollars from me in that manner.