Mercedes still haven't received appeal against Verstappen

• Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was crowned Formula 1 world champion on Sunday, the first title of his career.

• The victory came on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when Verstappen overtook Hamilton, after several contested decisions by the clerk of the course, Michael Masi.

• Mercedes, the team of Lewis Hamilton, filed several appeals which were ultimately dismissed, and should not appeal contrary to the first announcements.

A first Formula 1 world champion title for Max Verstappen who was ultimately played as much with the marshals as on the track. The Dutchman won the world championship title on Sunday at the end of an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as crazy as this Formula 1 season. A few laps from the finish, nobody saw him win on the Yas Marina circuit, but that was without counting on the accident of Nicolas Latifi, on the 53rd lap, on 58. And the decisions of Michael Masi, the clerk of the course.

Lewis Hamilton had a comfortable lead of more than 10 seconds over Max Verstappen, when the clerk of the course logically brought in the safety car.

A godsend, the second after that of the virtual safety car a few laps earlier, for Mad Max who returned to the pit for a third time.

This time to fit soft tires, much more efficient than the hard, and especially worn, Lewis Hamilton.

Two confused decisions

But that was without counting the latecomers inserted between the two championship leaders. Michael Masi, still him, had first decided not to allow them to overtake the safety car to regain their position behind the leaders. A "typical decision", will mock Max Verstappen on his radio, to which the clerk of the course finally returned a few minutes later: the latecomers interspersed between Hamilton and Verstappen had to pass the safety car and leave them to a duel.

Problem, this is not the case for those positioned behind Verstappen. And the safety car did not have time to complete a full lap after the passage of the latecomers, as provided for in the regulations, faced with the risk of leaving it on the track until the checkered flag. From then on, the way was cleared for Verstappen to eat Hamilton on the last lap, thanks to his new tires.

“I was confused because I had received the message that no one was going to overtake. So I thought it was a fair decision because Lewis had such a lead and Max had new tires on, so he had to get rid of several cars if they ever decided to restart the race. Then I saw other cars were passing, so I was like, “What should I do? Can I pass?” And that's when Tom told me to stay where I was. I do not know what to say. I don't know what to think of all this, really not. I would have to review how we got there, ”explained Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren driver, after the race. The Australian, placed just behind Verstappen when the race resumed, therefore did not pass. Which could have enabled Carlo Sainz, 3rd,to attack Verstappen for 2nd place, as he was able to do on Hamilton.

A green flag arrival at all costs

And while Lewis Hamilton, great champion that he is, came to congratulate Max Verstappen, his team rushed to file appeals with the help of Paul Harris, famous Manchester City lawyer who had won the club's case against to financial fair play.

Appeals on the two points mentioned just before: to have passed only five latecomers, and especially not to have made a full turn to the safety car after.

If the marshals recognized that this last point had not been correctly applied, they especially recalled that the decision of Michael Masi to return the safety car to the pit supplanted the others.

And the clerk of the course recalled that the main motivation was to allow the arrival of the Grand Prix under the green flag regime (resumption of the normal race) desired by all.

End of disallowance, therefore, 4 hours after arrival, for Mercedes.

Call, or not?

A few minutes later, the German team expressed its willingness to appeal. But the International Automobile Federation (FIA), tells us this Monday morning “not yet received confirmation of the call from Mercedes”. "Sunday's complaints have been processed and rejected, but we still have not received an email confirming their appeal," the FIA ​​told

. Such a call could take up to two months to be processed, "but given the circumstances there could be an emergency procedure, we will do what we can," she explains.

Perhaps we should give Toto Wolff time to recover from his crazy night.

The Mercedes boss needed to release the pressure of the end of the season, while celebrating the departure of Valtteri Bottas, according to several videos in which he appears, at best, tipsy.

Or quite simply because Mercedes finally resigned itself to appeal.

This Monday, several media evoke this possibility.

And it would even be Hamilton who would have asked his team to abstain, the driver not wishing to obtain this title elsewhere than on the track.

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F1: Mercedes claims rejected, Max Verstappen is world champion

• Sport

• Mercedes

• Max Verstappen

• Auto Moto

• F1

• Lewis hamilton

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