Lewis Hamilton has been handed a €50,000 (£43,000) fine and a non-driving reprimand by F1 stewards following the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Mercedes star, a seven-time world drivers' champion, was at fault for a crash with team-mate George Russell during the first-lap which ruled him out the race as Russell finished fourth. However, the subject of Hamilton's fine were his actions that followed.
The 38-year-old decided to walk across the track in order to get back to the pit lane despite the race being live. Hamilton's decision which came seconds before Russell emerged from the pits led to a post-race investigation.
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The fine, half of which is suspended until the end of the season, came with a statement from the Lusail International Circuit's stewarding panel.
It reads: "After crashing out of the race in Lap 1, the driver of Car 44 [Hamilton] abandoned his car in the gravel and ran back to the pits.
"He thereby crossed the track that was live at this time and reached the inside edge of the track just seconds before Car 63 [Russell] arrived at high speed after exiting the pits. He then continued to walk alongside the track until finally exiting the track.
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"During the hearing the driver of Car 44 was very apologetic and realised that the situation could have been very dangerous for him as well as the drivers approaching.
"The stewards reinforced the fact that crossing a live track can cause extremely dangerous situations and the drivers have to be very cautious about it."
The fine won't cause any sort of dent on Hamilton's net worth, which is believed to be in the region of £250million.
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Hamilton had said of the crash: "I’ve watched the replay, and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George."
Russell then replied: "Lewis and I, we'll be fine.
"We've got a huge respect for each other; nothing was intentional from either side."
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