F1 News: Mercedes Summoned To Stewards After Lewis Hamilton Mishap
It might come as a surprise to many but Formula 1 race drivers get pulled up for late arrivals too! The FIA held a press conference on Thursday afternoon which was split into two sessions that featured Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, and Lewis Hamilton.
However, the session commenced without Hamilton's presence since he was late. It was only a few minutes into the conference when the British racing driver arrived and took his seat alongside other drivers.
Obviously, the FIA stewards noticed all of this. What followed next was a summons sent by the FIA to the Mercedes F1 team, calling a representative of the team to see the stewards for a breach of Article 19.1 a) of the Sporting Regulations, which is a late arrival at the press conference.
The Mercedes representative put forth their argument before the stewards that Hamilton's schedule was handled by the team. Since this was Hamilton's home event, his schedule was "extremely busy." The team also highlighted that "it is extremely difficult" for Hamilton to move around the paddock.
Mercedes AMG F1 Media
The stewards were unwilling to accept their argument. Instead, they stated that Hamilton's late attendance was "disruptive" and that the media showed "significant interest" in talking to the drivers who are difficult to reach out to.
Considering past incidents, the stewards reprimanded the Mercedes team instead of Hamilton but also stated in their verdict that "further penalties may be considered in case of repetition" of late arrival at a press conference.
The FIA sporting regulations state that:
“All drivers must be available to participate in official media and promotional activities (as defined by the Media Delegate) for a maximum duration of 30 minutes during a two (2) hour period, commencing 23 hours prior to the scheduled start of P1.
“Any driver not taking part in an official FIA Press Conference (as designated by the Media Delegate) must take part in a separate media session organised by their team.”