F1 News: FIA announces verdict on Mercedes investigation following Hamilton's incident at Austrian GP

The verdict following the investigation into an incident involving Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton at the Austrian Grand Prix has been published.

The Briton struggled to find his pace all weekend and eventually qualified in fifth place behind his teammate.

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In fact, Russell beat him for the third race in a row, while fellow Briton Lando Norris shared the front row with Verstappen.

The result means Hamilton now trails his teammate 9-2 in the qualifying battle after an ultimately frustrating afternoon in Spielberg.

Lewis Hamilton starts fifth at the Austrian GP

Mercedes fined for incident in Q3

To make matters worse for the 39-year-old, he was summoned to the stewards after the session due to a bizarre incident in Q3.

As Hamilton left his Mercedes garage, he appeared to be dragging a rear jack and extraction pipe into the pit lane.

The FIA immediately announced an investigation into the matter and, following the conclusion of discussions, concluded that Hamilton had breached Article 34.14 a0 relating to an unsafe release and imposed a fine of 5,000 euros on Mercedes.

In a statement following the investigation, the FIA said: “The Race Control heard from the team representative and reviewed video evidence.

“Car 44 was taken out of the garage in an unsafe manner, with a jack and exhaust extractor being dragged behind it. Race Direction confirms that the team immediately asked the driver to stop to prevent further damage and/or dangerous situations.

“Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal against certain decisions taken by the Stewards within the applicable time limits, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Legal and Disciplinary Rules.

“The decisions of the Stewards are taken independently of the FIA and are based solely on the relevant regulations, guidelines and evidence presented.”

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