Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team faced a hefty fine of nearly £13,000, and the British driver received a warning following a close call that could have resulted in a “serious high-speed crash” during practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The incident occurred when Williams driver Logan Sargeant was forced to take evasive action to avoid colliding with Hamilton’s slow-moving Mercedes. Formula One stewards determined that Mercedes should have informed Hamilton of Sargeant’s approach on a fast lap, particularly given the high-speed nature of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, known as the fastest street track on the F1 calendar.
Carlos Sainz, who witnessed the incident, expressed concern over the radio, highlighting the dangerous situation created by Hamilton’s positioning on the track. Hamilton was summoned to meet with the stewards following the incident.
Carlos Sainz, who Hamilton will replace at Ferrari next year and who witnessed the incident, said over the radio: “What Hamilton did there is super dangerous.
“He was in the middle (of the track). He could have got out of the way. Sargeant nearly crashed because of him.”
A report from the governing FIA stated that Hamilton impeded Sargeant at Turn 11, forcing the Williams driver to take evasive action to avoid a collision. The stewards concluded that Mercedes failed to warn Hamilton of Sargeant’s fast lap, describing it as a serious failure given the circuit’s high speeds and impaired visibility.
A report from the governing FIA read: “The stewards heard from the driver of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton), the driver of Car 2 (Logan Sargeant), team representatives and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, team radio and in-car video evidence and determine that Car 44 impeded Car 2 at Turn 11.
“As a result, Car 2 had to take evasive action by going off the track to avoid a collision. Had that not been done, there would have been a serious, high-speed crash.”
“Having listened to the team radio, it was clear to us that the team of Car 44 failed to warn their driver of the fact that Car 2 was arriving on a fast lap. That was a serious failure on the part of the team, particularly given the speeds on this circuit and the nature of Turn 11, which is at the end of a series of high speed corners where driver visibility is impaired.”
“We therefore issue a warning to the driver and impose a fine of 15,000 euros (£12,818) to the team.”
As a result, Hamilton received a warning, and Mercedes was fined 15,000 euros (£12,818) for their failure to adequately inform the driver of the approaching car during practice.
