Lewis Hamilton responds to suggestions of being singled out by the FIA

Lewis Hamilton does not think he was singled out for the incident in Qatar but feels FIA need to be more careful with the statement that they put out. The driver was involved in a first-lap collision with his teammate George Russell in Qatar GP. As a result of the collision, the driver was out of the race as his Mercedes was beached in the gravel.

Getting out of the car, according to the regulations, Lewis Hamilton was not supposed to cross a live track. The driver ended up doing that and because of the infringement, he was given a fine by the stewards. A week later, however, FIA issued a statement that it was reviewing the incident as Hamilton's role model image could influence younger drivers.

This was a statement that many F1 pundits, including Karun Chandhok and Will Buxton, took umbrage to and so did the fans. Talking about the review and the suggestions from many that he was being singled out, Lewis Hamilton said that this was not the case.

During the pre-race drivers' press conference ahead of the USGP, he said:

“I don’t think think I was singled out. Ultimately I think it was just poor communication, I don’t think what they had said is exactly what they meant. I think what they mean is that they’re just going to look into how they can tackle those sort of things moving forwards. Make sure that it doesn’t happen.”

He added:

“I think there was a karting incident recently, where a kid was hit so… We really need to make sure that we continuously focus on safety and I think that’s really at the root of it. But I just think they probably need to speak to their PR agent to do a better job.”

Lewis Hamilton explains he's had a conversation with the FIA on the matter

Lewis Hamilton explained that he'd already had a conversation with the FIA on this and the aim of the entire review was that the younger drivers should not get the wrong idea. He said:

"Well, I mean, they have spoken to me and their actual point is, and I think it's important, it was just really, when I sat in the meeting, or in the stewards’ office, obviously I put my hands up. In the heat of the moment, it was the wrong decision."

He added:

"And what's important is to send the right message, particularly for the younger drivers, throughout the ages, that that's not the thing to do. And I apologised at the time. And I think they're just looking at how to make sure that doesn't happen moving forwards."

The revised fine (maximum of €1 million), however, has become a major topic of discussion as many drivers have suggested that the amount is too big.