FIA Penalties

 So, we're in Melbourne for the first time since 2019...yeah, I'm excluding the poor fans who showed up in 2020.  Poor saps!  Sebastian Vettel is finally back in the seat and ready to race, when he has to retire (is this the right term during a free practice session? meh, who cares!).  He pulls the car over and gets out, eventually getting on one of the marshal's scooters to head back to the pits.  While maybe he expected the marshal to get on the back, this didn't happen and Vettel continued around the track to get back to the garage.  This is apparently a violation of Article 26.7 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations.  Frankly it's a dumb rule, but many of the rules are insanely stupid and a waste of our time.  However, they are the rules and should be followed or at least tested repeatedly to see what the limits are (not unlike a toddler pissing off his or her parents, sorry Jack but it's true).  The fact that this is a rule, and the fact that Vettel broke it, probably knowingly, I mean Seb is no slouch.  He won four World Driver's Championships, and not all of them were squeaky clean (Multi-21 anyone?).  The issue I have is the fine.  He was fine five thousand euros (that's $5,438 for all you Americans out there).  That is an absolute joke of a fine.  A quick google search (and yeah, we can debate the merits of this all night) reveals his net worth around $140 million.  Does anyone really think he gives a flying fuck about five grand???  Until these fines are financially painful, the rules will continue to be broken.