AUSTIN – Lewis Hamilton expressed his dissatisfaction with the FIA for ineffective communication following his incident involving track-crossing in Qatar. He also mentioned that he has acquired valuable lessons from the experience and is looking ahead.
The seven-time world champion said he did not feel he was singled out for his breach of the rules when he crossed a “live” track following his collision with Mercedes teammate George Russell.
He was fined €50,000 (S$72,600) – €25,000 of that suspended – and reprimanded after he apologised to stewards who, this weekend in Texas, have the power to give out fines of up to €1 million for breaches of the sporting code.
Following the incident in Qatar, the FIA said it wished to review it again in the light of his role-model status.
Asked about this at the Circuit of the Americas on Thursday, Hamilton blamed the FIA for poor communication.
“I don’t think I was singled out. It was poor communication,” he said.
“I don’t think what they said is what they meant. What they mean is that they’re looking into how they can tackle it, moving forwards, so it doesn’t happen.
“There was a karting accident recently where a kid was hit. They need to speak to their PR agent to do a better job!”
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The Briton added that he was fully aware of a need to send the correct messages about on-track conduct.
“They have spoken to me and their point is important,” he said. “What’s important is to send the right message, particularly to young drivers, that it’s not the thing to do.
“They’re looking to make sure it doesn’t happen moving forwards.”
And regarding his clash with Russell, he added: “The great thing about our sport is there’s always another day to get back on the horse. There’s nothing I can do about the past, but there’s things I can learn – which I have.”
Meanwhile, Lance Stroll’s future with Aston Martin was the source of much speculation again on Thursday after organisers at the United States Grand Prix included Brazilian reserve driver Felipe Drugovich in a promotional poster.
Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, has been a regular part of the Silverstone-based team for three seasons, but his form has dipped this season while teammate two-time champion Fernando Alonso has shone.
His absence from the poster alongside Alonso was widely reported to have been an accident that was rectified by the organisers after much discussion of his future on social media.
Stroll had failed to progress from Q1 in qualifying for the fifth consecutive grand prix in Qatar.
He threw his steering wheel out of his car in the garage area and then shoved his personal trainer out of his way before responding with monosyllabic answers and an expletive during broadcast media interviews.
Alonso is fourth in the drivers’ world championship while Stroll is 10th, adrift by 136 points.
With five rounds of the season remaining, Aston Martin and McLaren are battling for fourth place in their title race and with it a significant sum of prize money in the constructors standings. AFP, REUTERS
