F1 News
Russell calls the FIA's sudden decision on fines "obscene"
- Ludo van Denderen
Lewis Hamilton looked up startled, Max Verstappen immediately reaching for his microphone to comment. A journalist arrived with a piece of news during Thursday's press conference: 'The FIA has decided that the maximum fine is no longer 250,000 euros, but 1 million euros.' And that was a message that was met with much incomprehension.
Max Verstappen immediately wondered what you have to do to get such a fine? It was a remark with a smile, but George Russell didn't find the new fine policy funny. The president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) called the amount "obscene". The Mercedes driver wondered aloud how some drivers would have to pay such an amount?
'Many drivers don't have the money at all'
Speaking to The Race and others, Russell said, "In my first year of F1 [in 2019 with Williams], I was on a five-figure salary and actually lost over six figures in that first year from paying for my trainer, flights, paying for an assistant, and that's probably the case for 25% of the grid."
Russell cited that all drivers love racing in Formula 1. But according to him, it cannot be the case that someone who is already losing 100,000 euros annually could also be fined a million. The Briton said he had been informed that the FIA wanted to increase the fines and was subsequently asked by the GPDA which direction they wanted to go and why? Russell stated that to date, no response has been received from the FIA.
Incidentally, Russell did not rule out the possibility of the drivers agreeing to a fine system that has a €1 million cap. "We'd love to get some clarity and transparency. If they truly believe a €1million fine is worthwhile and it's going to reinvest into the sport, then maybe one of the drivers who has been paid a lot is happy to pay that fine, but it seems obscene."