FIA race director Michael Masi says Lewis Hamilton undoing his safety belt while driving is “not acceptable” behaviour in setting an example to youngsters.

Hamilton was fined €5,000 for releasing his safety belt on the cooldown lap after winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with an extra €20,000 suspended until the end of 2022 – the FIA citing that Formula 1 drivers are role models and should be “sending a message” throughout the rest of motorsport.

In their written ruling on the matter, the FIA clarified they are “sympathetic to the desire to celebrate” after a win. However, “it is fundamentally unsafe to undo the seatbelts while the car is in motion. Slow speeds in these cars are very fast for an unrestrained occupant.

“Further, F1 drivers set the example for junior categories,” the statement continued. “It is critical that junior category drivers learn the importance of using all the safety devices of the car at all times.”

Masi reiterated the intention of the FIA is not to halt drivers celebrating – as loosening their harnesses is permitted after the race – but detaching them fully is a safety issue.

“Obviously, everyone knows that rule. It’s been discussed before as well, probably, I’ll guess around 18 months ago,” Masi told Motorsport.com on the subject.

“And then I’m well aware it was discussed in Charlie’s [Whiting] time. Drivers were reminded that obviously on cooldown laps, there’s no problem loosening their belts but they need to remain fully attached.

“And it’s a safety item. I think the stewards have made it quite clear in their decision that it’s not about stopping celebrations at all.

“But at the pinnacle of motorsport it’s a safety issue, but also it’s sending a message all the way through that that type of behaviour is not acceptable.”

Hamilton was fined on the same weekend his title rival Max Verstappen’s wallet was stung to the tune of €50,000 for touching the Briton’s Mercedes in parc ferme conditions on Friday.

Masi added the smaller level of fine imposed on Hamilton came as a result of there being no precedent for this kind of incident of late, and a punishment was set accordingly.

The penultimate round in one of the most thrilling world championship battles of all time may reportedly take place on "half a construction site".

Formula 1 officials have played down suggestions the new Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia - scheduled to host the second-last race of 2021 in a fortnight - will not be completed in time.

A source working for Formula One Management told the Swiss newspaper Blick in Qatar: "The last work (in Saudi Arabia) will be finished on the Thursday before the first practice session.

"The circuit will then be half a construction site, but they will be able to drive on it."

Veteran F1 journalist Roger Benoit said the first layer of asphalt wasn't even laid until September.

"Hopefully it can withstand the desert heat," he added.

Nikita Mazepin's father and Haas F1 Team sponsor says he personally paid for a new Haas chassis to be built for his son.

"Yes, it really was a problem, but we solved it together with the team," said Russian billionaire Dmitry Mazepin, whose Uralkali company is Haas' title sponsor.

Dmitry Mazepin says that as Haas directed resources for the 2022 season, an unfair mid-season situation developed between his son and teammate Mick Schumacher. Dad stepped in to help rectify the situation.

"One chassis was destroyed at the end of the year as a result of a major accident, and a new one was built. The team then decided to give the new chassis to Mick Schumacher," he told Russian media outlet Match TV. "But as soon as Nikita drove the old one, he immediately gave feedback that it was very different.It was in June when the team and I agreed that the chassis would change between the drivers to give them the chance to compare. Nikita had a good weekend with the new one and Mick had a big accident.

"So we made the decision to build a new chassis and I paid for the construction of it with my own money because we believe that the team should fight on equal terms."

The 22-year-old rookie Nikita insists that the fact that some in the F1 paddock think he bought his way into the series doesn't bother him.

"I have very little interest in being fake," he told the Dutch magazine Formule 1. "You know what they say—be yourself because everyone else is taken. So I'm not driven by the opinions of others. I'm here in Formula 1 because I deserve it, and I will leave when I lose my passion for the sport."

Mazepin also says he and his wealthy father are misunderstood.

"Very few people know that when I was born, I was still in a poor family. And my father comes from an even poorer family," Nikita said. "His mother always had to save for two years to buy him a birthday present."

"I'm here in Formula 1 because I deserve it, and I will leave when I lose my passion for the sport."

Williams continued its run of hiring former Volkswagen motorsport staff with the signing of Sven Smeets, who joined as its Formula 1 sporting director last month.

Smeets previously served as the team manager of Volkswagen’s World Rally Championship team, working under current Williams CEO and F1 chief Jost Capito.

After playing a role in VW’s charge to three consecutive drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in the WRC, Smeets took over as the marque’s motorsport director in 2016 following Capito’s exit to join McLaren in F1.

Smeets continued as motorsport director at Volkswagen for over four years, but has now joined the senior management at Williams as part of the team’s ongoing restructuring.

Capito took sole responsibility for the Williams F1 team earlier this year after the exit of team principal Simon Roberts, and identified a need to restructure the management team, including the hiring of a sporting director.

Smeets took up the role of sporting director last month, and attended his first grand prix with Williams in Qatar, but his appointment was not formally announced by the team.

He is the latest former Volkswagen motorsport staff member to become part of Williams’ senior management, following the arrival of Capito last December and technical director F[rancois-]X[avier] Demaison back in March.

According to his biography on the team’s website, Smeets will be “responsible for the sporting governance and representation of the team in all sporting matters related to the FIA, other teams, and motorsport associations.”

Smeets will also take “overall accountability for the race team” and be in charge of the young driver academy, which currently includes Jack Aitken, Roy Nissany and Jamie Chadwick.

“Working alongside Jost Capito, FX Demaison and the Williams Racing Management Team, Sven ensures that the optimal culture, resources and environment are in place for the team to succeed,” his bio reads.

Capito said back in June that he found a number of staff within the motorsport industry and F1 paddock now “seem to like now to work for Williams”.

“That helps us quite a lot,” Capito said. “We also see that we have a lot of talent, and we don’t want to turn everything upside down.

“We want to build a team that is a sustainable team for long-term, and that is not just buying people from whoever. That is really creating a proper team, based around the talent we have inside.”