Lewis Hamilton & Co. Reminded of Angela Cullen’s Absence as the FIA Slaps $10,700 Fine on Mercedes for a Novel Mistake

In their heyday, Mercedes could do no wrong. Winning almost everything since the inception of the turbo-hybrid era of this sport, the team functioned as one unit; a well-oiled machinery. With drivers like Lewis Hamilton by their side, the Silver Arrows have etched their names for eternity as one of the greatest teams this sport has ever seen. However, it isn’t just the drivers or the other protagonists that make the difference. And the Brackley-based team learned this the hard way today.

Today, the Spanish Grand Prix marked a milestone for Mercedes. Even though they are still a country mile behind Red Bull, both their drivers finished on the podium, with Hamilton clinching a much-deserved second place. However, this joyous occasion was marred by a lapse of judgement that cost the team $10,700 and would’ve surely reminded them of an ex-employee.

Mercedes lose valuable cash in post-race gaffe

The stewards summoned the Silver Arrows after the post-race podium ceremonies were concluded. What ensued after led to the team being slapped with a monetary fine for breaching the parc ferme regulations.

But what exactly happened? Well, according to the FIA the Stewards, “received a report from the media delegate, which was subsequently confirmed by video evidence, that the physios/drivers’ assistants of Cars 44 [Hamilton] and 63 [Russell] entered parc ferme in violation of the post-race interview and podium ceremony procedure that was published prior to the race ‘for the orderly conduct of the event.'”

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While Angela Cullen, Hamilton’s ex-physiotherapist, was on the team, the team never suffered from such a reprimand. However, the FIA did not risk a sporting penalty here. But they weren’t so benevolent to the others.

Yuki Tsunoda slams harsh Spanish GP Penalty

During the middle stages of today’s race, Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu were locked into a battle heading into turn 1. Tsunoda seemingly left the Chinese driver no room and he was forced off the track. For his troubles, Tsunoda received a 5-second time penalty. But to everyone watching at home, it seemed a tad bit unfair. Tsunoda agrees.

Motorsport.com quoted him as saying, “It was a ridiculous penalty and it feels really unfair. When I saw [Zhou coming], I left the room and I feel like he just gave up in the early stages. He went outside and pretended like he got forced out, but he didn’t. Definitely, there was still space outside.”

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Do the Stewards need to review their position as to racing incidents?