Lewis Hamilton’s row escalated following a fine imposed by Mercedes, angering Russell.
Lewis Hamilton received a hefty penalty that upset his fellow Mercedes driver.
George Russell was angry when his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton received a fine during the Qatar Grand Prix in the previous season.
Just days after the World Motor Sport Council raised the maximum fine amount for drivers, the Brit was penalized for unauthorized track crossing, causing Hamilton to worry about facing a substantial punishment.
Before, drivers could face a penalty of £217,000 (€250,000), but that amount was raised to £870,000 (€1m) recently. Hamilton ended up receiving a fine of £34,700 (€50,000), however, the possibility of having to pay such a large sum caused anxiety among the drivers.
Russell was especially angry that his teammate had to pay such a huge amount under the new system. In his role as head of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, he immediately raised concerns about the significant increase in the maximum fine set by the FIA.
Asked about the situation, he stated: “I find it absurd that a driver could receive a €1m fine.”
During my initial year in Formula 1, I earned a five-figure income but ended up losing more than six figures by paying for my trainer, flights, and assistant. This is likely true for a quarter of the grid.
“We enjoy what we do, so we have no complaints.” However, if you penalize a rookie driver who may be losing more than €100,000 by the end of the year due to required investments, you fine them one million. “What will occur?”
Russell continued to inquire why the regulatory changes were not publicly explained to avoid raising doubts about the decisions taken.
“It seems as if these numbers are being randomly chosen.” With all the significant global problems and widespread poverty in the world, how can a federation impose such high fines in the six to seven-figure range?
