Lewis Hamilton cops massive fine for hitting mechanic during pit stop
Lewis Hamilton has been fined nearly $50,000 AUD by the FIA after a chaotic pit stop resulted in his Ferrari mechanic being struck after an unsafe release.
Hamilton pitted during the virtual safety car period at the Belgian Grand Prix, serving a five-second penalty he picked up after a first-lap incident with George Russell.
Lewis Hamilton hits a mechanic. Fox Sports
Receiving a tyre change, the 41-year-old also expected a front wing adjustment only for confusion to continue as the team released him early.
The mechanic operating a front wing tool moved forward into the path of the car’s front-right tyre as Hamilton was given the green light to be released from his pit box.
As a result, when Hamilton drove forward, the mechanic was struck and fell to the floor. The Ferrari driver immediately stopped and the mechanic was dragged back by Ferrari pit crew members.
He was not injured in the incident.
“The green light went and so I went,” Hamilton said afterwards to Sky Sports F1.
“You’re looking over here [to the left at the lights] you’re not looking over there so that’s more probably on the team, ultimately.
“But when it happened, then I noticed him and I stopped and it just went through my mind in that moment was back when Kimi hit [a mechanic] and broke a leg and my heart really sank for a second.
“I’m really grateful he’s OK.”
The moment Hamilton is referring to is from the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix when then-Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen drove over the leg of mechanic Francesco Cigorini, who suffered a double bone break.
One third of the fine will be suspended for 12 months on the condition that Hamilton does not commit a similar offence. Hamilton also keeps his fourth-place finish in Spa. The FIA has also required Ferrari to send a report to the FIA within 14 days about the incident, including protocols the team will put in place to stop a similar incident happening again.
The team wrote that the mistake was due to an “inappropriately late instruction for the wing adjustment, a lack of clear communication and the mechanic’s failure to notice the green light.”
