F1 stars face fines of nearly £1MILLION in rulebook revamp – as Lewis Hamilton calls for all money to go to a ‘good cause’, while Daniel Ricciardo labels payment increase as ‘scary’

Lewis Hamilton and his fellow drivers face fines of up to a €1million in a major revamp of Formula One’s rulebook.

The highest possible amount that can be levied jumps from €250,000 (£218,000) under a more stringent regime introduced by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Geneva on Thursday.

A nonplussed Hamilton learned about the increase, which equates to £870,000, in Austin on Thursday night as he prepared for Friday’s qualifying for the US Grand Prix.

‘If they are going to fine one million, let’s makes sure that 100 per cent of that goes to a good cause,’ he said.

Daniel Ricciardo, who returns for AlphaTauri this weekend after breaking his left hand in August, said: ‘It’s scary.’

After learning about the increase, Lewis Hamilton called for all fines to go to ‘good causes’

Alpha Tauri driver Daniel Ricciardo described the huge fine revamp as ‘scary’

The WMSC, chaired by president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, argued the fine limits have not been reviewed for 12 years.

Meanwhile, Hamilton will face no extra punishment for running across the track in Qatar.

The FIA announced on Sunday they were ‘revisiting’ the incident, seemingly opening the way for an increase on the 50,000 (£43,000) meted out by the stewards. But, asked if the penalty might be escalated, an FIA spokesman told Mail Sport: ‘No.’

Hamilton said: ‘I don’t think I was singled out.’