Lewis Hamilton has paid £42,000 (€50,000) to the FIA having discussed his absence from last year’s end-of-season prizegiving ceremony with president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The FIA said money will be used to finance a place for a student from a disadvantaged background to receive a qualification relevant to motorsport.
Hamilton refused to attend the event despite being required to do so under F1’s sporting regulations as one of the drivers who finished in the top three positions in the world championship. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also did not attend.
The pair stayed away from the ceremony in reaction to the controversial conclusion to last year’s world championship in Abu Dhabi. In the days leading up to the prizegiving Mercedes were considering whether to formally appeal over the result after FIA F1 race director Michael Masi contravened the rules in arranging a final-lap restart.
Hamilton confirmed today he has reached an agreement with the FIA over his no-show. “I…