2023-10-20 08:50:39
For the first time in twelve years, the amount of the highest possible fine in Formula 1 has been increased: At a meeting of the FIA World Motorsport Council in Geneva, it was decided on Thursday that drivers could be fined up to one million euros in the future. This quadrupled the previous sum of 250,000 euros. This hefty increase was justified by the fact that the previous amount did not meet the needs of motorsport.
The Formula 1 stars reacted clearly to the rule change. Kevin Magnussen, for example, explained: “I don’t know which offense can be punished with a million euros, but that sounds ridiculous.” And looking at Ferrari star Charles Leclerc’s stolen watch, which was estimated to be worth more than a million euros, he added with a laugh: “Charles can give away his watch, but I would disappear and I would never be heard from again .»
Champion Verstappen, who was fined 50,000 euros in Brazil in 2021 for touching the rear wing of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, couldn’t resist a joke: “If touching a rear wing costs 50,000 euros, I would like to know which justifies a fine of one million euros.”
And old master Fernando Alonso explained: “That doesn’t seem appropriate to me. Our sport is considered elitist and difficult to access. We talk about topics such as sustainability and equal opportunities and try to do our part to become more accessible for everyone. In view of these efforts, it seems wrong to me to set such large amounts for the penalties.”
Russell calculated that in his first year in Formula 1 at Williams he had already made a financial loss because the costs exceeded his income. “And that probably applies to 25 percent of the field,” he added. Drivers have asked for clarification on how fines will be used in the past. “The money has to go towards promoting young talent, but so far we haven’t gotten an answer to our question,” emphasized the Brit, who is one of the directors of the GP drivers’ association GPDA.
World Championship standings (after 17 of 22 Grand Prix, including 4 of 6 sprints)
driver
01. Verstappen 433 points
02. Pérez 224
03. Hamilton 194
04. Alonso 183
05. Sainz 153
06. Leclerc 145
07. Norris 136
08. Russell 132
09. Plates 83
10. Stroll 47
11. Gasly 46
12. Ocon 44
13. Albon 23
14. Bottas 10
15. Hulkenberg 9
16. Zhou 6
17. Tsunoda 3
18. Magnussen 3
19. Lawson 2
20. Sargeant 0
21. De Vries 0
22. Ricciardo 0
Constructors’ Cup
01. Red Bull Racing 657 Punkte
02. Mercedes 326
03. Ferrari 298
04. Aston Martin 230
05. McLaren 219
06. Alpine 90
07. Williams 23
08. Alfa Romeo 16
09. Haas 12
10. AlphaTauri 5
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