20 October 2023 , 06:00
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Lewis Hamilton made it clear he will not pay the FIA's massive new fine system for Formula 1 drivers unless the cash goes to a good cause.
For the first time in 12 years, the FIA World Motor Sport Council has raised the limit that a driver can be fined for breaking the rules. But it was no meagre increase – it has been quadrupled.
It means the stewards now have the power to fine drivers up to one million euros (£871k). Responding to the news, Hamilton called for the FIA to make sure that the cash collected is used to do good.
"When it comes to things like this, we really need to be thinking [about] the message that that sends out to those that are watching," he said. If they are going to be fining one million euros, let's make sure that 100 percent of that goes to a cause.
"There's a lot of money in this whole industry and there's a lot more that we need to do in terms of creating better accessibility, better diversity, more opportunities for people who don't or wouldn't normally have a chance to get into a sport like this – so many causes around the world. That's the only way they'll get that million from me."
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Hamilton's fellow drivers struggled to hide their incredulity at the size of the increase. "It's a huge amount of money," said Charles Leclerc. "I have no idea about what deserves a one-million-euro penalty, but it's more than... I mean, some drivers are making less than that."
Max Verstappen referred to his fine for touching the rear wing of Hamilton's car at the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix as he cracked a joke about it. "Well, if touching a rear wing is 50,000 euros, then I would like to know what one million is – then maybe we can sponsor also the bottles of wine," he said.
Kevin Magnussen, who earns much less than his aforementioned peers, pointed out that it would be a much bigger deal for him to get such a large fine. "I don't know what it is to be one million, but that sounds ridiculous," he said. I mean, Charles can give his watch, but I would disappear, never to be found again."
In a statement issued by the FIA, justifying the increase, it was asserted that the fine limit "has not been reviewed nor amended for at least the last twelve years", and that the previous limit "does not reflect the current needs of motor sport".
F1 drivers face the most significant rise of all the competitions that fall under the governing body's umbrella. Competitors in all other FIA world championship series have a new limit of 750,000 euros, while all other FIA-sanctioned competitions have a maximum fine only half the size of F1.