Lewis Hamilton won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after fighting his way up from P10 on the grid. But after the race, a Mercedes team representative appeared before the stewards. It was over an alleged infraction of the sporting code by Hamilton involving his safety belts.
The issue is concerning Article 4 of the sporting regs. It states; “Drivers must be properly restrained in their seat by safety belts in conformity with the technical regulations for the vehicle concerned, at all times during a competition when it is mobile on a circuit, pit lane, special stage or competition course.”
Hamilton had pulled over to the side of the track after crossing the finish line. It was to take the Brazilian flag from a marshal before continuing on his victory lap. It then appeared that he had loosened his belts to reach for the flag.
“After analyzing the video footage, the stewards released their verdict, which was a 5,000 euros fine for Hamilton with an additional 20,000 euros which are suspended through the end of 2022,” stated an official F1 release.
The official ruling states; “The driver of car 44, Lewis Hamilton, undid his seat belts on the in-lap at the end of the race. While the Stewards are sympathetic to the desire to celebrate, it is fundamentally unsafe to undo the seatbelts while the car is in motion. Slow speeds in these cars are very fast for an unrestrained occupant.”
“Further, Formula 1 drivers set the example for junior categories. It is critical that junior category drivers learn the importance of using all the safety devices of the car at all times,” it added.