Hamilton to be fined for FIA Gala non-attendance

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed he will be fined by the FIA for his failure to attend the end-of-year prize gala after missing out on an eighth F1 title in the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

FIA regulations dictate the top three finishers in the drivers' standings must attend the annual ceremony in Paris where the governing body officially crowns its champions.

After being left frustrated by the events that concluded last season, neither Hamilton nor Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff attended as they had become "disillusioned" by the decision making in F1.

Asked ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix if he had been sanctioned for his absence following a meeting on Thursday with new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Hamilton explained: "There will be some sort of fine re the gala.

"But we have worked together to make sure that the money will be put towards youth from underprivileged backgrounds getting into motorsports engineering."

The FIA elected Ben Sulayem in December last year shortly after the events of the Abu Dhabi GP and he quickly made clear Hamilton would receive "no forgiveness" for his breach of protocol.

Explaining his relationship with Ben Sulayem, Hamilton added: "I met Mohammed a long, long time ago through an event that we had in Dubai so it is good to see him in the position he is in.

"It again adds to that diversity challenge that we are trying to overcome."

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