Abu Dhabi GP: Mercedes protest rejected by FIA – Max Verstappen remains Formula 1 world champion

Max Verstappen dethrones Lewis Hamilton and also prevents him from becoming the sole record world champion with the eighth title ahead of Michael Schumacher.

Mercedes had tried to challenge the race result in Abu Dhabi because of two alleged violations of the sporting regulations of the FIA, the international automobile association.

On Sunday, both protests focused on the crucial safety car phase in the final laps. The first complaint: no driver is allowed to overtake another car as long as the safety car is leading the field. Before the restart, however, Verstappen had accelerated and temporarily sat next to the Hamilton in front.

This protest was initially dismissed. “Although Verstappen moved slightly in front of Hamilton for a very short period of time when both accelerated and braked, he moved backwards again and not forwards when the safety car phase ended,” the stewards explained their judgment.

Stewards: The race director is also allowed to control the deployment and withdrawal of the safety car

Mercedes also protested that before the end of the safety car phase, five lapped racing cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were allowed to overtake the safety car so that the way was clear for Verstappen’s successful attack. The lapped cars behind the Dutchman, however, were no longer allowed to overtake. In addition, the Safety Car went off the track immediately after the “rounding” instead of doing another lap in accordance with the regulations.

To this end, the stewards established that race director Michael Masi is authorized, according to the regulations, to control the safety car, including its use and withdrawal. A subsequent reduction in the duration of the race, as suggested by Mercedes, is also an inappropriate intervention.

The Mercedes team around record world champion Lewis Hamilton apparently does not yet want to be completely defeated: The racing team immediately announced that they would take action against the rejection of their protests by the sports judges. Mercedes already had a lawyer with them in Abu Dhabi.

(SID)