Hamilton and Russell fined for a sporting infringement

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have escaped a potential sporting penalty, but the Brackley-based squad has been fined after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix for a sporting infringement.

After a challenging Sao Paulo Grand Prix for Mercedes, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton faced a post-race investigation for a potential sporting infringement.

Having jumped into the lead at the start, George Russell led the opening stages of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix before getting unlucky with a red flag interruption. The Briton made his pit stop before the red flag which meant that he found himself down in P5 when the race was restarted.

Although he could overtake Lando Norris at the restart, he spent the closing stint of the 69-lap race behind the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, crossing the finish line in P4.

His team-mate Lewis Hamilton endured a very difficult opening stint, having complained about bouncing. The Briton ran wide at Juncao twice before enjoying a more successful second stint after the restart to end up tenth.

However, Mercedes encountered a post-race investigation after the steward reported that the Brackley-based outfit made adjustment to the wheels which were already fitted to the car of Russell and Hamilton.

The FIA has now confirmed that George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have escaped any sporting penalties, but Mercedes have been fined €5,000 for the incident.

The full verdict read: “The Stewards heard from the team representative of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton), the FIA Technical Delegate, a member of his team and the FIA Single Seater Director.

“After the race start was aborted the 10 minute notice was immediately given for the new start. Given the layout of the circuit and the access point to the grid from the pit lane the time period for the team to get to the grid was extended. The gate to access the grid was not immediately opened. The FIA accepted that given this short notice it was extremely difficult if not impossible for the teams to follow the procedure prescribed in the technical directive.

“The FIA Technical Delegate stipulated that the tyre pressures while having been adjusted by the team was within the allowed parameters.

“Given the unusual circumstances surrounding the compressed time table, aborted start, the grid access logistics and given the stipulation from the Technical Delegate that the tyre pressures were within the correct parameters, the Stewards determine that a fine for a breach of procedure is appropriate in this case.

“Normally a breach of this nature, within a competitive session would carry a sporting penalty but it is not appropriate in this case. However, this decision should not be considered as a precedent for any similar breach in the future as the circumstances are considered unique.”