Mercedes decide not to continue appeal against the result of the title-deciding Abu Dhabi GP over handling of Safety Car restart; Constructors' champions welcome FIA's vow to conduct a review to provide future clarity, making clear they will "hold the FIA accountable for this process"
Friday 17 December 2021 15:54, UK
Mercedes have withdrawn their appeal against the controversial finish to the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In their first comment about the events of last Sunday, Mercedes said they left Abu Dhabi in "disbelief of what we had just witnessed" in regards to the Safety Car procedure and lodged an appeal after the race "in the interest of sporting fairness".
Max Verstappen, on fresh tyres, overtook Lewis Hamilton on the race's final lap to claim the race win and world title.
The FIA, F1's governing body, issued a statement on Wednesday night in which they promised to conduct an "analysis and clarification exercise" on what unfolded, together with teams and drivers, to learn lessons for 2022.
They also described the fallout from the controversy as "tarnishing the image of the championship".
Mercedes said that "together with Lewis, we have deliberated carefully over how to respond" to Sunday's race.
Having been in "constructive dialogue" with the FIA and F1, Mercedes said they welcomed the governing body's steps and now would work with stakeholders to "build a better Formula 1 - for every team and every fan who loves this sport as much as we do".
Mercedes also made clear they would "hold the FIA accountable for this process".
The end of the appeal challenge means that Max Verstappen is now definitively 2021's world champion.
The Red Bull driver will officially be crowned for the first time in Thursday night's FIA prize giving gala in Paris.
Mercedes congratulated Verstappen and Red Bull on their achievement, while also hailing their own Lewis Hamilton for being a "flawless sportsman on and off the track" and delivering a "faultless performance" in the finale.
Mercedes also commended their team for clinching a record-extending eighth consecutive Constructors' Championship on Sunday.
"Dear Formula 1 community and fans,
"We left Abu Dhabi in disbelief of what we had just witnessed. Of course, it's part of the game to lose a race, but it's something different when you lose faith in racing.
"Together with Lewis, we have deliberated carefully over how to respond to the events at the Formula 1 season finale. We have always been guided by our love of this sport and we believe that every competition should be won on merit. In the race on Sunday many felt, us included, that the way things unfolded was not right.
"The reason we protested the race result on Sunday was because the Safety Car regulations were applied in a new way that affected the race result, after Lewis had been in a commanding lead and on course to win the World Championship.
"We appealed in the interest of sporting fairness, and we have since been in a constructive dialogue with the FIA and Formula 1 to create clarity for the future, so that all competitors know the rules under which they are racing, and how they will be enforced. Thus, we welcome the decision by the FIA to install a commission to thoroughly analyse what happened in Abu Dhabi and to improve the robustness of rules, governance and decision making in Formula 1. We also welcome that they have invited the teams and drivers to take part.
"The Mercedes-AMG Petronas team will actively work with this commission to build a better Formula 1 - for every team and every fan who loves this sport as much as we do. We will hold the FIA accountable for this process and we hereby withdraw our appeal.
"To Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing: we would like to express our sincere respect for your achievements this season. You made this Formula 1 Championship title fight truly epic. Max, we congratulate you and your entire team. We look forward to taking the fight to you on the track next season.
"And lastly, even though this Drivers' Championship did not end the way we hoped, we could not be prouder of our team.
"Lewis, you are the greatest racer in the history of Formula 1 and you drove your heart out for every lap of this incredible season. You're a flawless sportsman on and off the track and you delivered a faultless performance. As a pure competitor and as a role model for millions around the world, we salute you.
"Valtteri, you have been such an important part of this team, delivering five Constructors' Championships in five seasons. Thank you for your remarkable contribution to our motorsport history. Kiitos, Valtteri.
"Finally, to every one of the skilled and passionate women and men of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in Brackley and High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth: you've written an historic chapter in the Silver Arrow story by winning the eighth Constructors' Championship - in a row. This is an unprecedented achievement. In simple words: it's awesome. You are awesome."
Mercedes' first public comment since the end of the Abu Dhabi race followed soon after a strong statement on the matter from Susie Wolff.
Wolff is the wife of Mercedes boss Toto and a former F1 test driver, who is also now CEO of the Venturi team in Formula E, which is also run under the FIA's authority.
Making clear her anger was not directed at Red Bull and Max Verstappen, who she congratulated on winning the drivers' title, she took aim at governing body for F1 and world motorsport.
"Going into this final weekend, I believed both teams and drivers deserved to win," wrote Susie Wolff. it was going to be a spectacle, an historic race that we all hoped would end without controversy. That wasn't to be.
"What happened is still hard to comprehend and leaves me with a sick feeling. Not the losing - and not Max and Red Bull - they are deserving winners and we always knew it was a strong possibility we may not win - but the way in which Lewis was robbed has left me in utter disbelief.
"The decision of one person within the governing body who applied a rule in a way which has never been done before in F1 single handily decided the F1 Driver Championship. Rules are rules, these can't be changed on a whim by one individual at the end of the race."
