Mercedes lost both of its protests after Lewis Hamilton lost the Formula One world title to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the last race at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After losing the protests, Mercedes filed for reconsideration to the International Court of Appeal. One protest was regarding the overtaking and the other concerned the safety car restart procedure. Before Latifi’s crash, Hamilton was coasting to world title No. 8.
“Although Car 33 (Verstappen) did at one stage, for a very short period of time, move slightly in front of Car 44 (Hamilton). At a time when both cars were accelerating and braking, it moved back behind Car 44. It was not in front when the Safety Car period ended (i.e. at the line). Accordingly, the Protest is dismissed.” stewards concluded. There had already been one virtual safety car deployed earlier in the race for a smaller crash. But this time the real one came out with little time left to remove Latifi’s car and clear debris off the track.
The other protest was for the way Verstappen drove before the race restarted. He pulled right alongside Hamilton near the end of Lap 57 and fractionally ahead on Lap 58. The regulations say “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.”
Mercedes lodged their protests within the allotted 30-minute window after the race. The team said it would “not make any further comment on the detail of that until the hearing has been conducted”.
