Mercedes protests after Verstappen defeats Hamilton in Formula 1
The Mercedes team filed a protest this Sunday (12) after Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and defeated seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton to win the 2021 title with an overdrive on the last lap .
The team, which secured the constructors' title for the eighth consecutive year, protested against two alleged violations of sporting regulations after the safety car entered the track at the end of the race.
A statement from the race stewards said that Mercedes had protested “against the classification established at the end of the competition”, arguing that there had been a violation of Article 48.12.
Verstappen had stragglers between him and Hamilton after entering the pits with the safety car on track and race time running out.
Race director Michael Masi decided that only five stragglers between the two title rivals should be allowed to regain the lap, rather than all stragglers, as is the usual procedure.
In a second protest, Mercedes also argued that Article 48.8 was violated with the Verstappen car passing Hamilton before the race was resumed, as it impatiently awaited the return of the race.
It is illegal to overtake, unless authorized to do so, while the safety car is on the track.
Mercedes said it will not comment further before the protest hearing.
Text translated using artificial intelligence.
