Max Verstappen became world champion in Formula 1 for the first time last Sunday, but a few dark clouds have remained over his title since then. Until now. Mercedes-AMG F1 has indicated that it will not take any more steps after the controversy surrounding the end of the race.
In the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix it was a hit or miss for Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers could become champions, but in the end Verstappen won the race and took the title. For a long time Hamilton seemed to be going to win the race, but in the final phase of the race a rolling restart took place after driving behind the safety car for a few laps and Verstappen was able to overtake Hamilton on the last lap on newer tires. The Mercedes-AMG team was outraged by the decisions of the race management at the end of the race, because the rules were allegedly not followed during the completion of the safety car phase. It protested, which was subsequently rejected the same day by the FIA ​​stewards. Verstappen was officially declared champion after this.
Mercedes did not leave it at that and indicated that it had the intention to appeal against this ruling. Today was the last day to make an official appeal. However, Mercedes is not doing that now, so there is no longer any chance that Verstappen will lose his title after all. Until now, that was still possible on paper. Mercedes-AMG F1 says it has had ‘constructive talks’ with the FIA ​​and the FIA ​​will investigate what needs to change to act more consistently and according to the rules in Formula 1 next season. Apparently convincing enough for Mercedes to leave it at that . However, they indicate that they will continue to closely monitor developments in this area.
For the first time, the team also publicly congratulates Max Verstappen and his team, Red Bull Racing: “We want to express our deep respect for your achievements this season. You have made the F1 championship fight truly epic. Max, we congratulate you and your whole team. We look forward to competing with you on track again next season.” Verstappen will receive the World Cup tonight in Paris, at the annual FIA gala.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl