Lewis Hamilton and British F1 drivers risk €15,000 fine and prison if they break Hungary coronavirus restrictions
UK citizens face tougher restrictions at next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix after quarantine regulations were toughened two days ago ahead of the third Grand Prix of the season
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Your support makes all the difference.Lewis Hamilton will be among a large number of Formula One drivers and personnel who will be banned from leaving the Hungaroring track or hotel due to Hungary’s reinforced quarantine regulations.
UK citizens will be subjected to tougher restrictions after the nation was brought out of lockdown, with pubs and restaurants reopening their doors last week and images of packed beaches going down badly with Hungarian officials.
Britain continues to have the highest death toll from coronavirus in Europe, with new cases still being confirmed every day.
European citizens will be free to walk around Budapest during next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, but UK citizens will risk a €15,000 fine if they travel anywhere other than to the Hungaroring or the hotel that they are staying in, and could even face prison time.
It means that Hamilton, George Russell, Lando Norris and Alex Albon will all face tougher restrictions than the rest of the grid, while around 80 per cent of the F1 paddock hails from Britain – including seven of the 10 teams. Non-EU personnel will also have to adhere to the restrictions.
That means large numbers of mechanics and officials will be at risk of sanction unless special dispensation can be agreed for this weekend, with F1’s managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn to be included in those at risk of the restrictions as well as team principals Christian Horner and Claire Williams.
At present the Hungarian Grand Prix is not thought to be at risk of cancellation because of the measures, but talks will be held early next week to try and find a resolution that would allow a relaxation of the restrictions on the bulk of the paddock.
The latest batch of 4,566 coronavirus tests carried out at Austria’s Red Bull Ring between 3-9 July were all negative, as were the previous 4,032 conducted between 26 June 26 and 2 July.
However, Brawn is aware that sooner or later the sport will have its first positive test, but he hopes that the plans already put in place as part of F1’s restart will help to minimise any spread and ensure the calendar can continue.
“The concept of the biosphere, the big bubble and then every team is split down into small bubbles ... we will get a positive at some stage but we hope then we can control it and minimise the risk,” Brawn told Sky Sports.
“Touch wood, we’ve been ok so far but we can’t get complacent,”
Brawn did issue a reminder to the paddock of their responsibility to remain committed to the safety protocols in different countries, with the potential for all of their good work to go to waste if they manage to take the virus from country to country over the coming weeks.
“Everyone’s keen to get racing, as long as we can offer a safe environment for everyone to do it,” said Brawn.
“We need to make sure that Formula One, being an international sport moving around the world, we don’t become a sport that takes Covid into a country.
“We’ve got to be someone who countries can totally rely on being a safe activity to have.”
Brawn’s message came after Ferrari were warned following Charles Leclerc’s decision to travel home to Monaco in between the Austrian and Styrian Grands Prix, having broken the FIA’s Covid-19 Code which states that any time spent away from a closer race track “must be spent with other members of the same group, keeping interaction with persons outside that group to a minimum.”
His teammate Sebastian Vettel was also warned after he was pictured talking with Red Bull’s Horner and Helmut Marko without a facemask on, while Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas also travelled home to Monaco during the week – though the championship leader avoided an official warning as there was no evidence that he had any contact with someone from outside of his biological bubble.
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