The Qatar GP was shaping up to be a good race for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes until the first turn of the first lap happened. Starting the race from P3, Hamilton had the best launch amongst all the drivers and looked like he would have a great 57 laps of racing. However, as the first turn came, the Briton turned into his teammate and went crashing out of the race, suffering a DNF. Rubbing salt to the wound, Chris Medland reports the 38-year-old received an additional fine worth over $26,000 following the race.
Initially thinking it was George Russell’s mistake, Hamilton went back on his words after seeing the replay. The 7-time world champion admitted his mistake and apologized to the entire factory and his teammate for being more aggressive than necessary, especially with it being the first turn of the first lap. As such, a race that lasted a few meters for Hamilton ended up costing him tens of thousands of dollars.
Lewis Hamilton to pay a fine after not even completing one lap in Qatar
Right from the Sprint session, the Qatar GP gave us plenty of action in the form of crashes and DNFs. The latest victim came in the form of Lewis Hamilton, who crashed out of the race owing to his mistake. While the DNF in Qatar marked the first non-points race for the Briton in 2023, there was more bad news waiting for him once the dust settled. Per an update by Chris Medland on X, Hamilton has received a fine worth over $52,000, half of which got suspended for the rest of the season, making it a fine of $26,311.
“Hamilton gets a reprimand and is fined €50,000 (€25,000 suspended for rest of 2023) for crossing the track. Was ‘very apologetic’ in hearing..”
Hamilton gets a reprimand and is fined €50,000 (€25,000 suspended for rest of 2023) for crossing the track. Was “very apologetic” in hearing.
Also cleared for collision with Russell, no further action as deemed Lap 1, Turn 1 incident with multiple cars in play #F1 #QatarGP
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) October 8, 2023
A disappointed Hamilton stood beside his car in the gravel trap as he waited for the track to clear for him to safely cross it. As he eventually apologized upon realizing his mistake, Hamilton made sure to take all the blame upon himself. Meanwhile, still out on the track, Russell was having a hard time concentrating as he felt responsible for Hamilton’s fate. An understandably shaken Russell had to be talked down by Toto Wolff to keep his head up and focus on the race. Soon, he found his way and climbed the ranks after going dead last in the race. However, as he crossed the Chequered Flag, Russell was in P4.
Mercedes lose big because of Hamilton’s crash
Before the feature race would begin in Qatar, news came of Carlos Sainz not starting the race owing to a mechanical failure in his car. As such, Mercedes stood to gain big if both their cars could seal as many points as possible from the race. However, Hamilton’s DNF meant it was a level playing field for Mercedes and Ferrari. As the battle for P2 intensifies in the constructor’s championship, Ferrari is now only 28 points behind Mercedes with five races to go in the season.
TEAM STANDINGS (with five rounds to go)
McLaren now trail Aston Martin by just 11 points 👀#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/EM1WnSyn8D
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 9, 2023
While Russell finished the race in P4, Mercedes could only gain 2 points over Ferrari as Leclerc finished right behind him in P5. As such, heading into the final five races of the season, the battle will be much more heated between the Prancing Horse and the Silver Arrows as they both look to be the second-best team on the grid this year. Things have become more tough for Hamilton as he loses out on vital points in his bid to overtake Sergio Perez in P2 in the driver’s standings. Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso is now only 11 points behind the Briton in the standings.
