Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team is expected to appeal after two protests it made against Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix were rejected by the stewards.
Controversial decision
The man in Mercedes’ sights is race director Michael Masi and his controversial decision to withdraw the Safety Car for the final lap.
The appeal is likely to relate to the way in which the Safety Car rules were applied by Masi at the end of the race following a crash by Williams’ driver Nicholas Latifi.
The involvement of the Safety Car set up a final lap in which Verstappen overtook race leader Hamilton to win the race and the title, dashing the Briton’s hopes of a record eighth world crown.
Mercedes argued that Masi did not apply the rules correctly by resuming the race for the last lap.
Masi made his opinion clear to a seething Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. “That is what we call a race,” said the 42-year-old Australian, who took on the role when Charlie Whiting passed away at the beginning of the 2019 season.
Although Hamilton was graceful in defeat once he emerged from the car, his team radio message which surfaced on Monday made it clear what he thought after being passed. “This has been manipulated, man.”
Four-time champion Alain Prost said he understood Mercedes’ gripe.
Extra controversy
“The protest over the managing of the Safety Car is an extra controversy which one does not need because the mistake was committed by the authorities,” said the Frenchman.
