12/12/2021
NEWS STORY
Mercedes has confirmed that it intends appealing the Abu Dhabi stewards dismissal of its protest.
"We have lodged our intention to appeal Document 58, the decision of the stewards to dismiss the team’s protest,” said a Mercedes spokesperson.
Document 58 relates to the second protest lodged by the German team at the end of today's race, that relating to the decision to allow just four cars- those separating race leader Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen - to pass the safety ahead of its withdrawal for the restart.
Had the lapped cars of Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll and Mick Schumacher been instructed to pass the safety car it is likely that this would have taken the race into Lap 58 thereby leaving no opportunity for the race to resume. Had this been the case Lewis Hamilton would have won.
Article 48.12 of the sporting regulations states that "if the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message 'lapped cars may now overtake' has been sent to all competitors via the official messaging system, any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car."
While article 48.12 of the sporting regulations 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".
However, in this case the race was restarted at the end of the same lap.
However, the stewards claim a separate rule allows the race director to control the safety car, which "includes its deployment and withdrawal".
They added: "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.
Mercedes call for the matter to be amended by taking the positions at the end of the penultimate lap, said the stewards "is a step that the stewards believe is effectively shortening the race retrospectively, and hence not appropriate".
The German team has 96 hours in which to decide whether it will proceed and formally lodge an appeal with the FIA’s International Court of Appeal.
The team's other protest, which related to Verstappen's actions following the safety car's withdrawal and ahead of the restart was dismissed.
As it ponders where to go from here, Mercedes has yet to issue the usual post-race press release, while Lewis Hamilton did not attend the official post-race press conference.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Yas Marina, here.