Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he's expecting to pick up a monetary fine for failing to turn up for last December's FIA Prize-Giving Gala in Paris. The annual awards ceremony, held by Formula 1's governing body, officially hands out the trophies for the championships under their remit. With Hamilton finishing in second place in the F1 Drivers' Championship, he was obligated to attend the ceremony under the Sporting Regulations. But, in the wake of his disappointment with how the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix title decider played out, Hamilton opted against attending. Mercedes' Toto Wolff also missed the ceremony, with the Constructors' World Champions represented by James Allison. Given the breach of the regulations, regardless of the circumstances or the sympathies of FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Hamilton has explained his expected punishment. "I think there will be some sort of fine regarding the Gala," he told media, including RacingNews365.com , during the FIA Press Conference in Bahrain on Friday. "But, we've worked together to make sure that the money will be put together towards youth from underprivileged backgrounds getting into motorsports engineering."
Hamilton to work closely with the FIA going forward
The seven-time World Champion went on to explain how he has moved on from the crushing disappointment at the end of the 2021 season. "[I'll] work as hard as I can with the FIA, with the teams in the sport, to make sure that things are done better moving forwards," he said. With the FIA introducing changes such as a 'Virtual Race Control', using software to bolster the work of the two new Race Directors Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, Hamilton is hopeful the new ideas will ensure the events of the 2021 finale don't happen again. "We welcome the changes that they have proposed. We hope that it works better for everyone," he commented. "I think what's important is clarity, that the rules are applied fairly for everyone – that's what we all ask for as drivers."
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