Lewis Hamilton stormed to a historic win in Brazil. He beat a 25 place grid drop to keep his dreams of an eighth world title alive. It will go down as one of the best individual race weekends of all time! Some brilliant racing with Max Verstappen was overshadowed by the Dutchman’s actions.
Mercedes Appeal
In the main, the battle for the race win was entertaining for all. Two of the best drivers at the moment pushing each other to the limit is what all fans want to see.
Unfortunately, the incident on lap 48 has taken some of the limelight. Verstappen tried to defend Hamilton, forcing him way off track at the end of the back straight at turn four, taking himself off track too. The stewards deemed no investigation necessary at the time.
It didn’t come as a surprise to Hamilton, who on his team radio said, ‘of course man!’ and Toto Wolff was baffled by the decision post-race, telling Sky Sports, ‘not giving it a five seconds? Come on!’
Pundits and commentators shared the view, feeling the current title leader was an extremely lucky boy to avoid any punishment.
New Evidence?
It appears that at the time of the decision, the stewards could not see Verstappen’s on board camera to see his wheel position.
It looked like he didn’t make the apex and purposefully pushed Hamilton wide, but without the steering wheel footage, that was impossible for the stewards to be 100% sure on.
Now that we have that footage available, Mercedes have decided to appeal the decision.
Mercedes’ Statement
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 16, 2021
What Happens Next?
If the stewards accept the appeal from Mercedes, then an appeal will be heard. If the stewards don’t throw the appeal out, they will analyse the new evidence before making a verdict.
Accepting the appeal doesn’t mean a punishment automatically. When analysing the footage, the stewards will decide on a verdict that will likely be either a penalty for Verstappen, or like during the race, no further action needed.
Is it right that Mercedes appeal the decision? Should the stewards punish Verstappen for the incident?
Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
