Hamilton: FIA didn’t say what they meant over review of track crossing incident

Lewis Hamilton denied he has been singled out by the FIA after it announced it would “revisit” the track crossing he was fined for at the previous race.

The Mercedes driver was fined €25,000 (£21,600) by the stewards, and given a further suspended fine of the same value, for the incident. But a week later the FIA announced it was “revisiting the incident in which Lewis Hamilton crossed a live track during the Qatar Grand Prix” due to its concern over “the impression his actions may have created on younger drivers.”

Although the FIA said it was particularly concerned by the example Hamilton set “in view of his role model status”, the driver does not believe he is being specifically singled out by the governing body. Speaking in today’s FIA press conference at the Circuit of the Americas, Hamilton suggested the governing body was keen to take action following the accident which left kart racer Joe Turney with serious leg injuries in the World Karting Championship on the same day as the Qatar race.

“I don’t think I was singled out,” said Hamilton. “I think ultimately it’s just I think it was just poor communication.

“I don’t think what they said is exactly what they meant. I think what they mean is that they’re just going to look into how they can tackle it, those sorts of things, moving forwards, to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“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 root of it. But I just think they probably need to speak to their PR agent to do a better job.”

Hamilton said he made it clear he accepted he had made a mistake by crossing the track after he crashed out at the first corner during the grand prix.

“They’ve spoken to me and their actual point, I think, is important. When I sat in the meeting with them or in the stewards’ office, obviously I put my hands up. In the heat 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. And I apologised at the time and I think they were just looking how to make sure that doesn’t happen moving forwards.”

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