20/10/2023
NEWS STORY
Following the news that the FIA is to 'revisit' the penalty meted out to him in Qatar, 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton blames poor communication as opposed to being made an example of.
The Mercedes driver was fined €50,000 (£43k) - €25,000 (£21k) of which is suspended for the remainder of the 2023 season on condition that there are no repeats - after crossing the live track to get to the pitlane, along with a reprimand, his first of the season.
However, days later, the FIA announced that it was to "revisit" the incident.
"The FIA notes that Lewis was apologetic during the subsequent stewards hearing in to the incident and acknowledged that the crossing was a serious safety breach," the sport's governing body's statement read.
"However, in view of his role model status, the FIA is concerned about the impression his actions may have created on younger drivers."
Asked in Austin if he felt this - almost unprecedented - move suggested that he was being singled out, Hamilton said: "No, I don't think I was singled out.
"I think, ultimately, it was just poor communication," he continued. "I don't think what they had said is exactly what they meant. I think what they mean is that they're just going to look into how they can tackle those sorts of things moving forwards to make sure that it doesn't happen.
"I mean, if you look at it, I think there was a karting incident recently where a kid was hit. So we really need to make sure that we're continuously focusing on safety. I think that's really at the core, at the root of it, but I just think they probably need to speak to their PR agent to do a better job.
"When I sat in the meeting, or in the stewards’ office, obviously I put my hands up," he added, referring to the specific incident. "In the heat of the moment, it was the wrong decision.
"What's important is to send the right message, particularly for the younger drivers, throughout the ages, that that's not the thing to do.
"I apologised at the time. And I think they're just looking at how to make sure that doesn't happen moving forwards."