Lewis Hamilton row exploded after Mercedes star slapped with fine that left Russell fuming
Lewis Hamilton was hit with a mammoth fine which angered his Mercedes teammate.
George Russell was left fuming after his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton was hit with a fine at the Qatar Grand Prix last season.
The Brit was fined for crossing the track without permission just days after the World Motor Sport Council increased the maximum fine a driver could receive, leaving Hamilton concerned that he could be hit with an eye-watering punishment.
Under the previous regulations, drivers could be fined up to £217,000 (€250,000), but that figure was increased to £870,000 (€1m) earlier last season. Hamilton was ultimately fined £34,700 (€50,000), but the risk of being forced to pay such a significant amount raised tensions among drivers.
Specifically, Russell seems to have been left fuming that his teammate can be made to part with such a huge sum having been forced to comply with the new system. The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association chairman did not waste much time to challenge the FIA on this decision on increasing the maximum fine significantly
Quizzed on the situation, he said: ‘To my mind it is rather absurd that a driver can be penalized for €1m.’
My first year in formula 1 I was paid, five figures and I was actually bringing minus six figures, from my trainer, from my flight, from my assistant. And that’s likely true for 25% of the grid.
“We are just doing what we enjoy and have no problem with that part of it.” But if you take a year one driver who probably by the end of the year is losing over €100,000 because of the investments he has to make, you fine them a million. What’s going to happen?”
Russell continued by asking why by the regulation changes were not made public with the intention of avoiding every question being asked regarding the decisions made.
Seems like these numbers are being pulled out of the thin air. When there is such good global process and so much poverty around the globe, how a federation is that they can concoct these six and seven figure fines?
