December 12, (THEWILL) – Following the tumultuous conclusion to the Formula One world championship, Mercedes has filed an appeal.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was named champion after passing Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In doing so, he stopped Hamilton from claiming a record eighth championship title.
That was not the end of the story, as the race director controversially allowed four lapped cars – between Hamilton and Verstappen – to run under the safety car on the penultimate lap.
The controversy stems from the fact that other cars further back were not told to unlap themselves. The group bunched up after the safety car was deployed after Nicholas Latifi’s incident on Lap 54, and race control initially stated that lapped vehicles between Hamilton and Verstappen would not be permitted to pass.
But, the decision was swiftly reversed, leaving Verstappen and Hamilton wheel-to-wheel, which the Dutchman took full advantage of, thanks to his new soft tyres. Yet, the lapped cars behind Verstappen were not allowed to pass, adding to the drama.
As the final lap unfolded, Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff became enraged, and he did not emerge for an interview after the race. Mercedes’ senior management had been poring over the guidelines and had initially decided against filing an appeal over the verdict.
However, as far as Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is concerned, allowing lapped cars to pass the safety car was the “right call”.
F1 later acknowledged that a Mercedes appeal had been filed in a brief statement.
In response to the appeal, Verstappen stated: “Not much to say on that really. I think it sums up a little bit the season.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
