Mercedes confirmed their withdrawal of protest at Max Verstappen’s controversial driver’s championship win following Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Dutchman passed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the last race of the season to snatch the crown from under the Brit’s nose following a controversial period of running under the safety car.
Mercedes, furious, had filed an appeal against the outcome, but they now disagree with it after talks with the FIA – the governing body F1.
Max Verstappen celebrating winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which secured his title as a world champion
Lewis Hamilton looked poised for an easy win that would seal the eighth record championship.
Sportsmail had exclusively revealed on Wednesday that Hamilton had told the team he did not want to win what would have been a record eighth world championship in court.
Hamilton looked set to win the Yas Marina circuit comfortably before Nicholas Latifi’s Williams collided with only a few laps left.
Red Bull was able to stop for new tyres and close the gap to Hamilton. The safety car, which was put out after the crash prevents drivers from overtaking on the circuit.
He was then passed by Verstappen on the final lap after an unpopular safety car.
Toto Wolff (Team boss) immediately made an appeal to FIA for help following the race
On the penultimate lap, however, a remarkable occurrence occurred when Michael Masi (race director) allowed just Hamilton and Verstappen lappers to unlap themselves rather than the entire field. To ensure that the final lap was completed in time, the race director Michael Masi allowed only Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves. The title would then be decided between those who were on the same points.
This scenario saw Hamilton as a sitting duck on older tyres, allowing Verstappen to pass Hamilton on the last lap and deny him a title that would have taken him past Michael Schumacher’s seven-title record.
Mercedes made furious post-race inquiries over two separate incidents involving the safety car. They were both thrown out of race control, but the race officials were considering whether they could appeal.
Mercedes has since backtracked and posted on Twitter confirming their appeal withdrawal. It read: “We left Abu Dhabi disbelieving of what we just witnessed. It’s normal to lose races, but losing faith in racing is something else.
Hamilton kindly congratulated Verstappen on his win after the race.
In spite of being controversially invited, the 7-time world champion was still able to remain calm
“Together, we deliberated. This sport is our passion and has guided us all. We believe every race should be won on merit. We felt the outcome of Sunday’s race wasn’t right.
“The Safety Car Regulations were applied in a new manner that affected Sunday’s race results after Lewis was in command and poised to win the world title. That is why we protested.
“We appealed for sporting fairness and have since been in a constructive conversation with Formula 1 and FIA. This has created clarity for the future so all competitors understand the rules and how they will enforce them.
“Thus, the FIA has decided to create a commission that will thoroughly analyze what took place in Abu Dhabi, and improve Formula One’s rules, governance, and decision-making. They have also invited teams and drivers to participate.
After Verstappen’s victory in his first championship, fireworks are set off at Yas Marina Circuit
Michael Masi (FIA race director) made some controversial decisions about the safety car.
“The Mercedes AMG Petronas team will collaborate with him to make Formula 1 better – for everyone who is passionate about this sport. This process will be held accountable by the FIA and we hereby retract our appeal.
This news follows a stinging critique of the FIA by Susie Wolff (wife of Toto Mercedes team boss), claiming Hamilton had been robbed from the world championship.
On Twitter, she wrote: “Going into this last race weekend I believed both teams deserved to win. The race was expected to be spectacular and historic, with no controversy. But it wasn’t.
“What I saw was still difficult to grasp and left me feeling sick. It’s not the loss – Max and Red Bull are worthy winners and we knew there was a good chance we might lose – but Lewis’ robbery left me stunned.
Susie Wolff (right, with Toto) revealed her fury at the FIA on Thursday morning on Twitter
“The drivers’ championship was decided solely by the decision of one member of the governing board who used a rule in an unusual way in F1. The rules are the rules and cannot be altered by any one person at the conclusion of a race.
Wolff then complimented Hamilton’s management of his defeat and congratulated Verstappen about his win.
Your courage and integrity have been an inspiration to many, including Lewis Hamilton. Your achievements are unsurpassed. What will happen in the final laps of Sunday’s race? The people who are aware, know it, even the ones who don’t want to admit.
‘Congratulations Max and congratulations to each and every member of Mercedes-AMG F1 on your record breaking eighth constructors’ title – I hope by March of next year there is a governing body with sporting integrity and fairness at its core so I can fall back in love with F1. ‘