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It was confirmed by the FIA on Friday night that Lewis Hamilton has agreed to donate £42,000 (€50,000) for his failure to attend the governing body’s prize-giving gala in Paris last December.
Both Hamilton and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff skipped the ceremony in Paris five days after the controversial denouement to the season in Abu Dhabi.
Article 6.6 of F1’s sporting regulations state that failure to attend the ceremony is a breach of the rules.
Lewis Hamilton agreed to donate £42,000 for failing to attend the FIA’s prize-giving gala
Back in December FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the British driver could face sanctions of a fine or a reprimand that triggers a 10-place grid penalty for the season opener in Bahrain.
And on the eve of the new season, Hamilton has now been officially sanctioned by the FIA. The seven-time world champion was also ‘reminded of his obligation of sportsmanship’.
On Friday, a statement from the governing body read: ‘FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem met yesterday with Sir Lewis Hamilton to discuss the work being done by the FIA and key motor sport stakeholders to build greater diversity and inclusion for the motor sport industry.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem met with Hamilton to discuss diversity in the sport
‘In the spirit of commitment to building a more diverse sport in the future, the FIA president gave his full support to Hamilton’s decision to make a donation of 50,000 euros that will be used to support a student from a disadvantaged background in achieving an educational qualification in motor sport.
‘The FIA and Hamilton will work together with an independent panel throughout this process.
‘During the meeting, the circumstances that led to Hamilton’s absence from the 2021 FIA Prize Giving Ceremony were also discussed.
Max Verstappen received his drivers’ championship trophy at the gala in Paris last December
‘Hamilton acknowledged the importance of celebrating the year’s achievements with the prize-winners from across motor sport and the FIA president reminded Hamilton of his obligation of sportsmanship, particularly in view of his status in motor sport.’
The 37-year-old skipped the ceremony after missing out on the World Championship to Max Verstappen.
The Red Bull driver won his first world championship after overtaking Hamilton on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season.
It came after the safety car was deployed after Williams driver Nicholas Latifi spun five laps from the end, allowing Verstappen to pit for fresh tyres.
Race director Michael Masi then allowed only some of the lapped cars between the two title contenders to overtake the safety car ahead of the one-lap shoot-out, putting Verstappen on Hamilton’s tail.
Mercedes Team Principal Wolff said the events in the UAE had left Hamilton feeling ‘disillusioned’ and there was no guarantee he would continue in the sport.
Hamilton did not have an ideal start to the 2022 season after he finished a distant ninth in practice for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix as world champion Verstappen took top spot.
The seven-time F1 world champion could only muster a ninth-place finish in second practice
Hamilton arrived for the opening round of the Formula One season fearing his Mercedes machine would not be a contender for victory.
And, while times in practice are treated with caution as teams trial different tyres, fuel loads and engine settings, Hamilton will be alarmed by his apparent lack of pace.
The Briton, seventh in the first action of the day, then finished an eye-watering 1.2 seconds behind Red Bull’s Verstappen – the man who denied him a record eighth title at last season’s contentious decider in Abu Dhabi – and six tenths adrift of his new Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
Ferrari followed up their encouraging pre-season form, with Charles Leclerc second and Carlos Sainz third in the other scarlet car. Russell finished fourth.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s main title rival Verstappen made a fine start, finishing top of the track
Ninety-six days on from the final race of last year’s gripping and controversial title duel, Hamilton was back on track for his 16th campaign on the grid.
The sport has undergone its biggest rule change in a generation, with the cars radically revised in a bid to provide closer racing.
Hamilton’s Mercedes team might have dominated in recent times, winning the past eight constructors’ championships, but there is a growing feeling they will not start the new campaign at the top of the tree.
The Silver Arrows have struggled with ‘porpoising’ – the phenomenon seen this year when the car violently bounces on its suspension at 200mph.
Early on in Friday’s second running under the lights, and amid a flurry of sparks, Hamilton said: ‘It’s still bouncing a lot.’
He later complained that there was something wrong with his front brakes.
For Verstappen, there were no such concerns as his bid to defend his crown started in the best possible fashion. And there was good news for Ferrari, too.
Leclerc, the 24-year-old from Monegasque, finished just 0.087sec behind Verstappen as Ferrari go in search of their first drivers’ title since Kimi Raikkonen triumphed in 2007.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished just 0.087sec behind Verstappen in second
Niels Wittich is in the referee’s chair here after Michael Masi was axed as race director and he was called into action in the opening moments of the day’s first action as bodywork fell off Esteban Ocon’s Alpine.
Wittich deployed the red flag for 13 minutes as the debris was removed from the main straight.
Ocon’s team-mate, Fernando Alonso, finished fifth, ahead of Hamilton’s former team-mate Valtteri Bottas, now of Alfa Romeo.
Lando Norris was 11th for McLaren, with the returning London-born Alexander Albon propping up the back for Williams.
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