Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time World Champion, had an awful collision with his teammate in the Qatar GP. Many are shocked about his performances, as this was not expected from him.
However, the footage showed that the incident was completely unintentional, as the Lusail Circuit is pretty challenging, which included the humidity of the country. Nonetheless, the British racer was charged with a hefty fine.
Lewis Hamilton slapped with fine at Qatar GP
Lewis Hamilton has been penalized £21,640 (€25,000), with an additional sum of equal value put on hold, for crossing track boundaries during a safety car period in Qatar. The driver crashed with Russell at the first corner, leaving him in spin out of the race.
When out of his car, Hamilton crossed the Lusail Circuit to get to the pit lane, which breaks the rules of the FIA guidelines, putting him through another fine and suspension for the rest of the 2023 season.
Lewis Hamilton fined and reprimanded by race stewards for crossing the track to return to the pit lane following his first-lap collision
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 9, 2023
Full story ⤵#F1 #QatarGP https://t.co/I6od8pxSaa
Shortly after the race, when asked about the incident, George said: “We both had the possibility of standing on the podium. nothing intentional both ways.”
He further added, “These cars are so difficult to see when you are racing – there’s big blind spots.”
“We both have so much respect for one another. We will go past this and I’m sure we will speak and everything will be OK.”
Hamilton apologizes to George Russell
Hamilton has apologized to George for his carelessness during the race, officially, by saying “I just feel sorry to my team, It was an opportunity today to get some good points.”
“In the heat of the moment, I didn’t understand what happened, I just obviously felt the tap from behind. But I don’t think George probably had anywhere to go and, yeah, it’s just one of those really unfortunate situations.
“I mean, I’m happy to take responsibility as the older one. It’s massively gutting to have a result like this. This rarely happens to me. I hope George can get back into the points today so I’ll be supporting him.”
I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) October 8, 2023
The driver also proceeded to take responsibility by apologizing not only to George but to his fans as well by posting on his X account where he said: “I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and George.”
Do you think Hamilton deserves to be punished? Or should he be given one more chance before the season ends? Do let us know in the comment section below.
