Max Verstappen celebrates 2021 title on Sunday night after incredible drama in Abu Dhabi; But Mercedes lodge intention to appeal after F1 stewards reject their two protests as Lewis Hamilton loses race and championship; Merc were furious after late restart to race following Safety Car
Monday 13 December 2021 16:15, 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.
The drama is not over yet, however, as Mercedes have lodged their intention to appeal the verdicts, which were released long after an extraordinary and controversial race finale.
On Sunday night at least, Red Bull and Verstappen were celebrating his maiden F1 title.
"It's disappointing we had to go through that," Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who three times went to see stewards after the race along with Mercedes team representatives, told Sky Sports News.
"It's been an amazing year, I'm proud of Max and the whole team. He's the world champion and the deserving world champion."
"Relieved," said Verstappen. "It's been a very stressful day."
Mercedes lodged two official protests following an incredible title decider that ended with Verstappen passing Hamilton on the very last lap. One was regarding the restart procedure from F1 race director Michael Masi, and another alleging that Verstappen overtook Hamilton under the Safety Car.
The team were particularly infuriated by the fact five of the lapped cars that initially separated Hamilton and Verstappen under the Safety Car were allowed to un-lap themselves before the race soon restarted again for the final lap, which Verstappen had a huge tyre advantage for.
The stewards deliberated for over three hours before dismissing both protests.
Soon after, Mercedes lodged their intention to appeal and they now have 96 hours to launch an official appeal.
Coincidentally, that timeframe takes them up to Thursday night when Verstappen is due to be crowned champion at the FIA Awards Ceremony.
It was one of the most remarkable finales to any F1 race let alone the title-decider, and it certainly played into Verstappen and Red Bull's hands and went against Hamilton and Mercedes. But amid yet more off-track drama in an incident-filled championship, stewards have ruled that the end of the race did not contravene F1 rules.
The longest wait over a decision was regarding Mercedes' protest "against the classification established at the end of the competition".
They alleged 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".
It also says that "once the last lapped car has passed the leader the safety car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap" which, Mercedes argued if complied with, would have resulted in Hamilton winning the race and subsequently the title.
Hamilton had dominated the race before the late Safety Car, following Nicholas Latifi's crash, gave Verstappen the chance to stop for soft tyres yet still stay in second place. Verstappen, however, still initially had five cars - Lando Norris, the two Alpines, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel - between him and Hamilton under the Safety Car.
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, even though three cars that had also been lapped - Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll and Mick Schumacher - stayed back behind the pack.
Soon after, Race Control signalled the end of the Safety Car period, the race was resumed for one final lap and Hamilton was a sitting duck on worn tyres, overtaken by Verstappen into Turn Five.
But despite Mercedes' protests, the F1 stewards rejected their case, prompting late celebrations in the paddock from Red Bull.
Their verdict said they had determined:
"That Article 15.3 allows the Race Director to control the use of the safety car, which in our determination includes its deployment and withdrawal.
"That although Article 48.12 may not have been applied fully, in relation to the safety car returning to the pits at the end of the following lap, Article 48.13 overrides that and once the message "Safety Car in this lap" has been displayed, it is mandatory to withdraw the safety car at the end of that lap.
"That notwithstanding Mercedes' request that the Stewards remediate the matter by amending the classification to reflect the positions at the end of the penultimate lap, this is a step that the Stewards believe is effectively shortening the race retrospectively, and hence not appropriate."
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 stated: "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 the decision to allow one final lap of racing. Red Bull, as to be expected, praised the move.
Speaking before the final verdicts, Verstappen said: "Everything was clear, so why would you then run another lap behind the Safety Car?"
"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 still not yet publicly 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."
For now, Verstappen is F1's 34th champion and the first non-Mercedes driver to beat Hamilton since 2013.
But Mercedes, of course, have lodged their intention to appeal. That essentially buys them time to consider whether they will indeed amount a full-blown appeal to the FIA's International Court of Appeal.
They have 96 hours - although may come to a decision before then - to consider that option.
After that, Mercedes' last option would be to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
