Rome, 12 December 2021 – The never-ending story of this crazy season of Formula 1 may not have finished on the finish line of the Gp in Abu Dhabi. The Fia ha rI make two appeals presented by Mercedes, confirming Max Verstappen’s Red Bull world title. The German house has the opportunity to appeal.
Complaints
The first protest had as its object a maneuver by the Dutchman: according to Mercedes Max it would have violated article 48.8 of the Fia sporting regulations which provides for the safety car ban on overtaking another car on the track, with some exceptions. A few seconds before the restart and that last thrilling lap, Verstappen joined Lewis Hamilton with the front wing, perhaps putting himself in front for a few moments (and centimeters). For the stewards there are no details to accept the appeal. THE commissioners estimated that “although Verstappen’s car 33 moved, for a very short time, slightly ahead of Hamilton’s car 44, at one point when both cars were accelerating and braking, it came back behind car 44 and was not ahead when the safety car period is over “.
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The second complaint directly targeted the “order of arrival”: an alleged violation of Article 48.12 of the FIA Sporting Regulations was called into question, which describes how the race direction can determine who can split under the Safety Car regime. What happened on the track: just before the restart, the management decided that the five cars lapped between Hamilton and Verstappen could overtake the Safety Car. Those behind Verstappen were not allowed to do so.
Then the cards: Article 48.12 describes how the cars must drive safely after disengaging and the paragraph ends as follows: “Unless the race director still deems the presence of the Safety Car necessary, once the last lapped car has overtaken the leader, the Safety Car will return to the pits at the end of the next lap. “Which apparently would not have happened. And if the safety car had completed that extra lap, the 58th, the last lap we all admired would probably not be existed, with Hamilton first and champion.
I FIA commissioners in Abu Dhabi have rejected also this appeal.
What happens now
The double verdict it may not be conclusive: the German team could in fact turn to FIA Court of Appeal in Paris. In this case, Verstappen’s victory would remain “sub iudice” for days or even weeks.
Toto Wolff he has already vented all his anger on the radio, probably mulling over what to do. “It’s not fair!”, He shouted disputing the decision to restart the race on the last lap after the intervention of the safety car. “Toto, they are called racing …”, the reply from the Australian race director Michael Masi.
Max Verstappen for now he did not want to give too much weight to the Mercedes protests: “It is a bit of a summary of the whole season, I don’t have much to say”. To record the fair play, not taken for granted, by Hamilton who was among the first to congratulate him, then avoiding commenting on the appeals.
However, he had expressed doubts about the outcome of the race immediately after the finish George Russell, Williams driver and future companion of Hamilton in Mercedes next year. “This is unacceptable,” his tweet. “Max is an absolutely fantastic rider, he has had a great season and I can only have great respect for him, but what happened is absolutely unacceptable. I can’t believe everything we have just seen.”
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