Lewis Hamilton hit with £12,800 fine after Sargeant and Sainz lodge complaints

After a close call on the track during the second practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton found himself in hot water.

Mercedes was penalized with a fine of £12,800 (€15,000) for a significant oversight in communication when Lewis Hamilton came close to colliding with Logan Sargeant in Saudi Arabia.

Hamilton was driving at a slower speed on the track to avoid interfering with Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, which ultimately led to Sargeant having to quickly maneuver to avoid a collision.

“Mate, come on,” Sargeant exclaimed on the radio. “It’s too dangerous.” The Williams driver also threw a hand up in frustration, while Hamilton raised his to apologise for his role in the incident.

Sainz also reported the incident, noting: “What Hamilton did there was super dangerous. Like he was in the middle, I couldn’t get out of the way. Sargeant nearly crashed because of him.”

Hamilton’s radio message indicated his lack of knowledge about Sargeant’s presence, as he mentioned not realizing that someone was on a lap. He explained that he was attempting to make room for Sainz when suddenly he noticed a Williams car appearing.

Hamilton narrowly avoided a collision, but was still penalized after a meeting with race officials.

The Mercedes team was fined for the incident. The FIA released a statement saying that car number 2, driven by Sargeant, had to swerve off the track to prevent a crash.

If that action had not been taken, a dangerous collision could have occurred at a high speed. After hearing the team communication, it was evident that the officials of Car 44 did not inform their driver that Car 2 was approaching quickly on a hot lap.

The team’s failure was significant, especially considering the high speeds on the track and the challenging nature of turn 11, which is located at the end of a sequence of fast corners where visibility is limited. As a result, a warning was given to the driver and a €15,000 fine was imposed on the team.

Hamilton did not receive a personal fine for the incident, but the seven-time world champion did receive an official warning.

The Mercedes driver will aim to fix his mistake from the second practice session during the qualifying round starting on Friday.

Hamilton finished only in 9th place during qualifying in Bahrain last weekend, which greatly affected his race.