Mercedes protesting classification after not all cars un-lapped themselves under the late Safety Car; First protest regarding Max Verstappen overtaking Lewis Hamilton under SC rejected; Verstappen won race, and title, in dramatic and controversial finale
Sunday 12 December 2021 20:39, UK
Formula 1 stewards have rejected both of Mercedes' protests over the dramatic late stages of the Abu Dhabi GP, confirming Max Verstappen as the race winner and 2021 world champion ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes still have a right to appeal the verdicts, which were released more than four hours after Verstappen crossed the line as a maiden title
Stewards have deemed that Mercedes' protest against Verstappen for overtaking Hamilton under the Safety Car was "inadmissible" - although a verdict is still awaited on the more serious of their two disputes which is against the classification after the late decision regarding lapped cars.
Mercedes launched their protests following incredible controversy at Yas Marina as Verstappen passed Hamilton for the race and championship win on the final lap.
That was after a Safety Car wiped out Hamilton's big advantage out in front and allowed Verstappen to pit for fresh soft tyres but still stay second in the title decider.
There were five lapped cars between Verstappen and Hamilton as of Lap 57 of 58, although F1 Race Control then allowed those cars to un-lap themselves before signalling an end of the Safety Car period, leading to one final lap of the race and championship.
Utilising his tyre advantage, Verstappen passed Hamilton into Turn 5 to, seemingly, clinch his maiden title.
But Mercedes are protesting "against the classification established at the end of the competition", alleging a breach of Article 48.12 of the FIA Sporting Regulations which states that "any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car".
Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll and Mick Schumacher, who had been lapped but were not in between Hamilton and Verstappen like the other five cars, did not un-lap themselves.
They were also querying Verstappen's conduct under the Safety Car. Article 48.8 of the same regulations is: "No driver may overtake another car on the track, including the safety car, until he passes the line for the first time after the safety car has returned to the pits."
That protest, however, has already been rejected.
Mercedes did not give any post-race TV interviews and Hamilton was not in the usual press conference alongside Verstappen. Told of their protests, Verstappen, who has spent lots of time with the stewards this year, said: "Not much to say about that. I think that sums up a little bit the season."
It was one of the most incredible finales to any race let along the title-deciding one, and it certainly all went against Hamilton and Mercedes. Although what is now left to decide, is whether it was also against the rules the FIA sets. Investigations may last long into the Abu Dhabi evening.
Verstappen, after pitting for soft tyres following Nicholas Latifi's crash, initially had five cars - Lando Norris, the two Alpines, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel - between him and Lewis Hamilton under the Safety Car. And at first, it seemed that Michael Masi and F1 Race Control, who were in contact with all the teams, were not going to move those cars, splitting Verstappen from Hamilton for the resumption.
But late into Lap 57 they allowed just those five cars to pass Hamilton and the Safety Car.
Hamilton was then a sitting duck for the last lap.
"What Mercedes are upset about is that the other cars behind, so Ricciardo, Stroll and Schumacher, weren't asked to pass. So they're saying, all the cars should have been allowed to pass, not just those," said Sky F1's Karun Chandhok.
"From an FIA standpoint, I think if they'd waited for those three cars, we would not have had the final lap of racing."
Although Sky F1's Martin Brundle questioned what the penalty could even be for such a scenario. "The question for me is if the procedures weren't followed, what is the remedy?" he said.
"Mercedes will say they want a lap back, I'm not sure where the precedent would be for that. Letting the lapped cars un-lap themselves was brought in to stop them interfering in the main race.
"I believe the lapped teams were pushing like crazy for the information, and Michael Masi didn't want to let them through while there was a break-down and marshals on track, because when you release someone, you go like hell.
"There's a lot of technicality in this, but I go back to my point, what's the remedy if the FIA didn't follow their own procedures? It's a lawyer's job sorting this one out. It's not a sporting one."
However Sky F1's Nico Rosberg added: "It's the fact they let half of them un-lap, and then also it says by regulation you need to wait another lap to then do the start. So there's a lot of things where he [Masi] didn't follow the rules."
Mercedes other protest regarded whether Verstappen overtook Hamilton under the Safety Car, and in the final sector the Dutchman did appear to edge ahead of the slow-moving Mercedes - although pictures weren't clear-cut.
The stewards' verdict was that the protest was inadmissible, as they reasoned: "Red Bull argued that Car 44 was not "overtaken" by Car 33, that both cars were "on and off the throttle" and that there were "a million precedents" under Safety Car where cars had pulled alongside then moved back behind the Car that was in front.
"The Stewards consider that the protest is admissible. Having considered the various statements made by the parties. The Stewards determine that although Car 33 did at one stage, for a very short period of time, move slightly in front of Car 44, at a time when both cars where accelerating and braking, it moved back behind Car 44 and it was not in front when the Safety Car period ended (i.e. at the line)."
Understandably, there has been plenty of debate in the paddock about the end of the race, particularly F1's decision to allow one final lap. Red Bull, as to be expected, praised the move.
"Everything was clear, so why would you then run another lap behind the Safety Car?" said Verstappen. "When everything is clear, you have to release the track so I think that's a fair point from the Race Director.
"Of course it worked for me but it can also work against me."
Team boss Christian Horner stated: "We were screaming at him [Michael Masi} 'let them race'. That's what we've been talking about all year and this championship came down to the last lap. A great strategy call to make that pit stop, to take that set of softs and then it was down to Max and make it happen.
"It's unheard of to leave the cars un-lapped. You could see they wanted to get the race going again and they don't need to catch up the back of the pack. They made absolutely the right call - difficult circumstances and they called it right."
But while Mercedes have not yet commented, other drivers weren't so sure.
George Russell, who is joining Mercedes next year, called the decision "unacceptable". "Max is an absolutely fantastic driver who has had an incredible season and I have nothing but huge respect for him," he posted on Twitter.
"But what just happened is absolutely unacceptable. I cannot believe what we've just seen."
Norris, who was one of the drivers to un-lap themselves, added: "I'm not too sure what was said from the FIA.
"At first we weren't allowed to overtake, as the backmarkers, so if that influenced decisions to Mercedes and to Lewis and that's the reason they didn't do their pit-stop.
"But then the FIA suddenly changed their minds and they were allowed to let us past. That's where I'm not so sure. For it to end like that, I'm not so sure."
Sky Sports News' Craig Slater
"We could have a decision from the stewards, whether or not they uphold or don't Mercedes' protest, tonight. Mercedes would then have licence via FIA protocols to go via their appeals procedure, but only until Thursday as I understand it because the Prize Giving Ceremony at the FIA to crown the world champion is the cut-off point for all of that.
"There would be further recourse via the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Mercedes do think the more serious of the two matters, is the issue of the protocols not being followed. They think that last lap should not have occurred.
"Key to this could be how much discretion Michael Masi had personally to make these calls or to judge when a situation is right or wrong within the framework of the rules."
More to follow...
