Lewis Hamilton will cop another fine if he continues his habit of failing to show up at the end-of-season FIA prize gala this year.
FIA rules mandate that the top three drivers in the Formula 1 standings have to attend the glamourous event. And Hamilton is now guaranteed to finish third this season as Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso are now too far behind to catch up with only one race remaining. So, under the regulations, Hamilton will have to make the trip to Baku for next month's event.
If he doesn't he'll be punished just as he was in 2021 when he refused to show up. That was in the aftermath of the controversial season finale which saw Max Verstappen snatch the title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Race director Michael Masi had botched his handling of a late safety car period which gifted the win to the Red Bull racer and it took a long time for Hamilton to forgive the FIA.
He later specified that the cash would go to a good cause. "There will be some sort of fine re: the gala," he said. "But we've worked together to make sure that the money will be put towards youths from underprivileged backgrounds [to help] them get into motorsport engineering."
Hamilton also skipped last year's event. That meant he was not in Bologna to receive the Action of the Year award, given to the Mercedes ace for his spectacular double overtake on Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez at the 2022 British Grand Prix.
But he did not get a fine that time as there was no obligation for him to show up. In a dismal season for Mercedes, Hamilton finished just sixth in the drivers' standings while Perez and Leclerc were the ones mandated to join Verstappen at the ceremony.
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Hamilton finished seventh at the Las Vegas Grand Prix which is the sort of result he would usually categorise as dismal. But the Brit was in buoyant mood after a race in which he was hampered by a lot of bad luck, but which he still enjoyed.
"I'm really happy to have had a positive race and I'm really grateful that the race was so good," he said. "I don't know how it was as a spectacle to watch but there was so much overtaking. It was like Baku, but better.
"I really wasn't expecting the track to be so great, but the more and more laps I did, I just really loved racing. Lots of great overtaking opportunities. I think for all those who were so negative about the weekend, saying it's all about the show, blah blah blah, I think Vegas proved them wrong."