Mercedes summoned to stewards over potential breach involving both drivers · RaceFans
Mercedes have been summoned to a hearing of the stewards at the Spanish Grand Prix, where their drivers finished second and third.
The team is under investigation for failing to follow the post-race procedures set down by the FIA media delegate. A representative of the team, plus the physiotherapists who attend to drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, have been called to a hearing at 6:30pm local time at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The post-race guidance states – in bold lettering – that “driver physios must wait outside the cool down room behind the podium until the podium ceremony has concluded following the instructions given to all teams by the media delegate.”
All three podium finishers at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix – Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Hamilton – were found to have failed to follow the parc ferme instructions relating to their physiotherapists. The three teams involved – Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes respectively – were given suspended fines of €10,000 each, which were payable if they committed a similar offence before the end of the season.
Although none of them reoffended last year, Mercedes appears to be under investigation for a similar infraction.
The stewards told the three teams who broke the rules last year their physiotherapists’ paddock passes “may be revoked in case of systemic violation.”
The restriction on physiotherapists exists to ensure they cannot hand over items to the drivers before they are weighed, to ensure compliance with the rules.
Update: Mercedes fined for parc ferme violation but keep second and third places
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2023 Spanish Grand Prix
