07/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Mercedes has been given a reprimand after Lewis Hamilton arrived late for Thursday's FIA press conference.
A Mercedes representative admitted that the driver's schedule was controlled by the team, and given that this was his home race, the schedule was extremely busy. In addition, the team noted Hamilton's difficulty in getting through the paddock.
While the stewards understood this to be the case, they noted that it is also true that this is an activity required by the regulations, and that late attendance is disruptive to the press conference, and that there is significant interest by the media in talking to the drivers who's access is limited.
The stewards considered that these activities on the Thursday of a race weekend are different to pre-race activities which have an effect on the flow of the competition and can provide an advantage to a driver's preparation. Activities on Thursday are generally organized by the teams and the drivers follow the instructions of their team coordinators.
Therefore, the stewards determined that the most appropriate penalty was to the team rather than to the driver.
As some leeway has been given previously the stewards consider a reprimand to be appropriate, with the warning that further penalties may be considered in case of repetition.
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