Toto Wolff demands FIA 'reality check' over F1 rule change Lewis Hamilton hates

22 October 2023 , 07:00

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Toto Wolff criticised the FIA's move (Image: Getty Images)

Toto Wolff said the FIA needs a "reality check" after the World Motor Sport Council approved a massive increase to the amount Formula 1 teams and drivers can be fined.

The maximum fine that could previously be levied was 250,000 euros (£218k), as stated by the International Sporting Code. But for F1 drivers that amount has been quadrupled to one million euros (£871k).

For Mercedes team principal Wolff, the news came out of nowhere. "There needs to be some deterrent for grave infringements of the regulations, but none of that was on the radar of anyone, that it would be coming," he told reporters in Austin.

"I think a million, we need to do a reality check with real life, whether that is an adequate fine or not. I don't think we've ever fined a driver 250,000 euros, so raising the ceiling is something that one needs to understand where it comes from.

"We don't want to portray Formula 1 out there in the world where it's tough enough [already], to give drivers fines of a million, I think half of the grid wouldn't be able to pay them. I don't think it is adequate considering... I don't think we should be playing around with those numbers that seem very surreal to people who are watching us."

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In a statement issued by the governing body, it was asserted that the fine limit "has not been reviewed nor amended for at least the last twelve years", and that the previous limit "does not reflect the current needs of motor sport".

But the move sparked an angry response from drivers, including Lewis Hamilton who declared he will not be paying unless the FIA pledges to funnel all the cash made into positive projects. "When it comes to things like this, we really need to be thinking [about] the message that that sends out to those that are watching," he said.

"If they are going to be fining one million euros, let's make sure that 100 percent of that goes to a cause. There's a lot of money in this whole industry and there's a lot more that we need to do in terms of creating better accessibility, better diversity, more opportunities for people who don't or wouldn't normally have a chance to get into a sport like this – so many causes around the world. That's the only way they'll get that million from me."

Hamilton's fellow drivers struggled to hide their incredulity at the size of the increase. "It's a huge amount of money," saidCharles Leclerc. "I have no idea about what deserves a one-million-euro penalty, but it's more than... I mean, some drivers are making less than that."

Max Verstappen referred to his fine for touching the rear wing of Hamilton's car at the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix as he cracked a joke about it. "Well, if touching a rear wing is 50,000 euros, then I would like to know what one million is – then maybe we can sponsor also the bottles of wine," he said.

Daniel Moxon