FIA criticised for ‘clumsy’ Lewis Hamiton statement on Qatar GP investigation

Racing driver and broadcaster Alex Brundle has criticised the FIA for its “clumsy” wording of a statement announcing a further investigation into Lewis Hamilton crossing the track in Qatar.

Hamilton returned to the pits by crossing a live track in Lusail after crashing with Mercedes team-mate George Russell, and was given a €50,000 fine by the FIA for it, €25,000 of which suspended for the rest of the year.

But upon review, the FIA decided to reopen the investigation given Hamilton’s status as a “role model”, which has led to criticism from Brundle.

FIA’s Lewis Hamilton statement criticised for ‘clumsy’ wording

Brundle, son of former F1 driver Martin and a racer and broadcaster in his own right, summarising Formula 1 for the BBC and appearing as an analyst in Formula 2 and Formula 3, believes pulling Hamilton up for being a “role model” is an unusual situation.

In a statement from an FIA spokesperson on Sunday, the governing body said: “The FIA is revisiting the incident in which Lewis Hamilton crossed a live track during the Qatar Grand Prix.

“The FIA notes that Lewis was apologetic during the subsequent stewards hearing in to the incident and acknowledged that the crossing was a serious safety breach.

“However, in view of his role model status, the FIA is concerned about the impression his actions may have created on younger drivers.”

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In response to seeing the statement from the FIA, Brundle posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Ok I get it… But ‘Due to his role model status’ – Is unnecessary/clumsy wording.”

The FIA are likely to meet with Hamilton in Austin next weekend to discuss the incident further, with the Mercedes driver having crossed the track under race conditions last time out.

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