Lewis Hamilton fined R1m for 'dangerous' on-track antics in Qatar

• Lewis Hamilton has been handed a R1 million fine for wrongly crossing the Qatar circuit, of which 50% is suspended.
• Hamilton received no penalty for colliding with team-mate George Russell.
• Fernando Alonso has now closed the gap to Hamilton to 11 points.
• For more sports news, go to the News24 Sport front page.

Mercedes driver and seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has been given a €50 000 (R1 014 392, est.) fine for crossing a live racetrack during the Qatar Grand Prix.

Following an early exit from the race after colliding with team-mate George Russell, Hamilton returned to the pits by crossing the circuit.

READ | Qatar Grand Prix opens F1's eyes to the benefit of mandatory pit stops

While this may seem innocent, the track was active, and Russell, who rejoined the race after pitting at the end of Lap 1, drove by seconds after Hamilton had crossed that section of the track.

The broadcast footage showing Hamilton returning to the pits caught the race stewards' attention, leading to a post-race investigation.

Hamilton was found guilty, and 50% of the fine was suspended for the remaining races of the 2023 season if an incident of a similar nature does not happen again.

The report

Following the hearing, the stewards released their findings, noting that Hamilton realised how dangerous the situation could have played out.

"After crashing out of the race in Lap 1, the driver of Car 44 (Hamilton) abandoned his car in the gravel and ran back to the pits," the report read.

"He thereby crossed the track that was live at this time and reached the inside edge of the track just seconds before Car 63 (Russell) arrived at high speed after exiting the pits. He then continued to walk alongside the track until finally exiting the track.

READ | Lewis Hamilton 'happy to take responsibility' for clash with teammate Russell

"During the hearing, the driver of Car 44 was very apologetic and realised that the situation could have been very dangerous for him as well as the drivers approaching.

"The stewards reinforced the fact that crossing a live track can cause extremely dangerous situations, and the drivers have to be very cautious about it."

The stewards also noted that there will be no further action of the first-corner clash between the two Mercedes drivers.

A tough break

Hamilton's mistake is completely uncharacteristic of the star driver. He rarely causes collisions, but history has shown that he falters when the pressure is on.

Just looking at the recent incidents: In Britain in 2021, he drove Max Verstappen (Red Bull) off the track at over 300km/h, sending his title rival to hospital. In Italy 2023, he drove into Oscar Piastri's McLaren. And now, in Qatar, it was his own team-mate.

But Hamilton will look at the Qatar Grand Prix as a lost opportunity as he missed out on a chance to close the championship gap to Red Bull's Sergio Perez in P2. Thirty points separate them after Qatar (224 vs 194), but Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) in P4 is now just 11 points behind Hamilton.

READ | Headaches, vomit-filled helmets, dizziness... F1 drivers say Qatar GP was hardest ever

"It was a big opportunity to get some good points for the team, and in the heat of the moment, I didn't really understand what happened," Hamilton said.

"It was a really unfortunate situation, and I feel really sorry for the entire team. Massive apologies to everyone back at Brackley and Brixworth, and I take full responsibility. Everybody is working incredibly hard, so it's massively gutting to have a result like this.

"The positives are that the pace of the car was strong across the weekend."

A judgment error left Hamilton and his team on the back foot. Still, it'd be foolish to discount him from having a solid finish to the season over the final five races.