The Monegasque from Ferrari speaks as a “trade unionist” after the Federation’s announcement that it intends to quadruple the fines for those who commit infringements on the track. Hamilton asks that the fines be donated to charity. And Magnussen jokes: “With a sanction like that I will disappear and never be found again”
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The International Federation has decided to quadruple the maximum limit for sanctions economic in case of violation of the regulation and the pilots did not remain indifferent to the news. Indeed, the impression is that the change introduced by the FIA World Motor Sport Council which was held on Thursday in Geneva, which raises the maximum fine from 250,000 to one million euros, is destined to remain one of the hot topics of the F1 weekend in Austin. With the pilots welcoming the news with a mixture of disbelief, amazement and concern.
LECLERC TRADE UNIONIST
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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, for example, recalled in a press conference how some drivers don’t manage to receive certain sums even over the course of an entire season: “It’s really a lot of money, I have no idea what one has to do to get a penalty of type. Some colleagues don’t earn that amount. It’s just a lot of money, I don’t know.” The reaction of Kevin Magnussen, who is certainly among the F1 protagonists with the lowest salary, is also curious: “It seems ridiculous to me, maybe Charles could sell his watch but I… would have to disappear and never be found again”, joked the Dane. “A million? A scary sum,” added Daniel Ricciardo.
MAX AND LEWIS AGREE
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However, it is certainly a measure that will bring the pilots to a common front. By getting everyone to agree, even two antagonists par excellence like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. For example, the reigning world champion recalled the fine of 50,000 euros paid after qualifying for the 2021 Brazilian GP for touching the rear wing of the Mercedes in parc fermé: “If touching a wing cost me 50,000 euros, who knows what you have to do to get a million.” What remains to be understood, in fact, is whether the increase in the ceiling will in any case bring with it a generalized increase in the fines imposed on drivers even for the most banal issues such as speeding in the pit lane.
BENEFICIAL CAUSES
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“I think that in situations like this – added the seven-time world champion, more seriously – we must also think about the message we want to give to those who watch us. If there are going to be fines of one million, we need to make sure that 100% of the sum is donated to a charitable cause. This is the only way FIA could get a million from me! There is a lot to do to create better accessibility and diversity, guaranteeing opportunities for people who otherwise would have no chance of entering a sport like ours.”
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