FIA announce F1 punishment decision after Lewis Hamilton incident at Qatar Grand Prix

Photo: © IMAGO

Qatar Grand Prix

FIA announce punishment decision after Hamilton incident at Qatar Grand Prix

The FIA have announced penalty decision at the Qatar Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 30 November 2024 21:55 Updated: 23:28

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The FIA have announced a punishment for an incident involving F1 stars Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Hamilton has endured a disappointing stint at the Qatar GP thus far, where he was beaten by team-mate George Russell during sprint qualifying and the sprint race.

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Following both sessions, the seven-time world champion delivered a downcast verdict over his performance, claiming he was 'not fast' anymore and that he was done with the season.

Hamilton will compete in his final two grands prix with Mercedes in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, before he prepares to move to Ferrari in 2025.

Lewis Hamilton has been left deflated by his performance at the Qatar GP

Lewis Hamilton has two more races left with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz involved in incident at Qatar GP

The 39-year-old will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari next season, with the two drivers involved in an incident during qualifying at the Qatar GP.

Sainz was released into the path of Hamilton in the pitlane, with the stewards noting the Ferrari star for an unsafe release.

Following the investigation, Ferrari have been punished and have been issued a €5,000 fine.

A small delay for Sainz in the pits saw the Ferrari star released into the path of Hamilton, who had to avoid a collision and thus prompted the penalty for his future team.

An official statement read: "The representative of Car 55 [Sainz] admitted that the Number 1 mechanic responsible for releasing Car 55, signalled the car to be released prior to the driver being ready.

"This resulted in a small delay which in turn resulted in the car being released into the path of Car 44 [Hamilton], requiring the driver of Car 44 to take avoiding action."

After a thrilling qualifying session Qatar, Hamilton will start Sunday's race in P6, whereas Sainz will start behind in P7.