Mercedes withdrew its appeal against the conditions of the coronation of Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who became F1 world champion on Sunday ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, she announced on Thursday.
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The Dutchman will therefore be able to install without fear at home the trophy which should be awarded to him at the awards gala of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Thursday evening in Paris.
Neither Hamilton, second in the drivers ‘standings, nor Wolff, constructors’ champion with Mercedes, will be there to see him, both having decided not to attend the ceremony.
“In front of a normal court, we would be almost certain to win but the problem with the International Court of Appeal, it is that the FIA cannot mark its own work”, justified the Austrian boss of Mercedes at a conference virtual press.
Wolff nevertheless welcomed the initiative of the governing body of motorsport to open an investigation into the events which led to the victory and the coronation of Verstappen at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He is waiting “not just words but actions” and “measures before the start of next season” to prevent such a situation from happening again.
“Sport must take precedence over entertainment”, hammered the leader, who denounces a “series of inconsistent decisions” on the part of the management and the race marshals who “caused unnecessary controversy” and “polarized” throughout the season.
Hamilton “disillusioned”
Asked about the state of mind of his star pilot, who has not spoken since Sunday, the Austrian did not hide that he was “disillusioned”. However, he wants to believe that Hamilton “will see in his heart that he must continue (in F1, note) because he is at the top of his form, but that he will have to overcome the pain because he is a man with strong values. ”
Mercedes had filed two complaints immediately after the GP, won by Verstappen ahead of Hamilton thanks to a controversial choice by the clerk of the course. These complaints had been rejected by the commissioners and Mercedes then declared its intention to appeal, before retracting Thursday, the deadline to do so.
Thursday at the press conference before the awards ceremony, Verstappen said he had the right to “a double celebration”, after the race and after the stewards’ decision.
“Since that moment, I haven’t really talked about it (the call, editor’s note), continued Verstappen, this morning when I heard the news I was happy but I expected it”.
“It’s racing, these things can happen”, assured the Dutchman, who sees “no reason why (Hamilton) should stop there”, while he can “still fight the year next for an eighth record title ”.
“We had the impression that a lot of things have played against us (this season), but the situation tends to level out during the year,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner to its ratings.
“Watch the whole year”
A point of view shared by FIA President Jean Todt, who is completing his third and last term on Friday: “Max was very lucky on the last lap, but you have to look at the whole year. Was he lucky at Silverstone (retirement after a collision with Hamilton, editor’s note), in Azerbaijan (accident after a tire problem, editor’s note), in Budapest (9th after being hit, editor’s note)? No”.
In Abu Dhabi, victory, synonymous with coronation because the two drivers were tied before this last round, appeared promised to the seven-time British world champion until the accident of Nicholas Latifi six laps from the finish.
The time to free the Williams from the Canadian, the race was neutralized behind the safety car. It is the way in which this neutralization ended that the German manufacturer contested.
According to the point of the F1 rules that he invoked, the restart would have occurred one lap too early, before the 58th and final lap. But Verstappen overtook Hamilton in this last lap, to win his first title.
Without this, the GP would have ended behind the safety car, without the possibility of overtaking, and the Mercedes driver would have been sacred.