It was confirmed by the FIA on Friday night that Lewis Hamilton has agreed to donate £42,000 (€50,000) for his failure to attend the governing body’s prize-giving gala in Paris last December. Both Hamilton and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff skipped the ceremony in Paris five days after the controversial denouement to the season in Abu Dhabi. And on the eve of the new season, Hamilton has now been officially sanctioned by the FIA. ‘The FIA and Hamilton will work together with an independent panel throughout this process. ‘During the meeting, the circumstances that led to Hamilton’s absence from the 2021 FIA Prize Giving Ceremony were also discussed. The Red Bull driver won his first world championship after overtaking Hamilton on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season. Hamilton did not have an ideal start to the 2022 season after he finished a distant ninth in practice for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix as world champion Verstappen took top spot.

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