Mercedes-Benz

MAX VERSTAPPEN was crowned F1 champion in one of the most controversial ends to a sporting event. Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team were left furious and accused race bosses of bending the rules, resulting in a dramatic one-lap shootout between Hamilton and Verstappen for the title.
Max Verstappen was finally CONFIRMED as world champion four-and-a-half hours after the race finishedCredit: Getty
Verstappen and Red Bull celebrate after protests by Mercedes were rejectedCredit: Getty
Lewis Hamilton embraces rival Max Verstappen after the raceCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The Brit had been chasing a record 8th world titleCredit: Getty
Merc’s chiefs fought a four-and-a-half hour battle to have the decision overturned before it was finally rejected late on Sunday night – however, the German team are expected to mount a further legal challenge.
After Mercedes’ protest was rejected Verstappen said: “I am very relieved. It’s been a very stressful day.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner added: “I am disappointed we had to go through that. Max is the world champion, he’s the deserving world champion, nobody can take that from him.”
Merc boss Toto Wolff raged at race director Michael Masi, who was subjected to an investigation over his handling of the Abu Dhabi GP.
Masi, the equivalent of a referee, has been dogged by question marks over his handling of flashpoints over the season – but none more so than here at the final race.
It was supposed to be the best finale the sport has ever known, Verstappen coming of age against the seven-time champion.
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A seminal moment to witness the ending of an era and the start of a new reign for the Dutchman.
F1 has made a habit of shooting itself in the foot but this time they used a rocket launcher for good measure.
After the pathetic show at the Belgian GP this year, where a handful of laps were run behind a safety car to satisfy lucrative TV contracts, this was a new low.
It shows that despite having the best battle in years, the sport has been overregulated by a rule book that the FIA don’t themselves understand.
Having led for the majority of the race – and with a huge gap in front – Nicholas Latifi’s smash five laps from the end saw Masi deploy the safety car while the broken Williams was recovered.
Initially, Masi said that ‘any lapped cars will not be allowed to overtake’ – which meant Verstappen would be trapped behind five backmarkers before he could get a run on Hamilton.
However, on the penultimate lap, Masi CHANGED his mind allowing just the five cars to unlap themselves to put Verstappen right behind Hamilton.
The Dutchman popped open the bottles of bubbly after the official confirmationCredit: Getty
Verstappen celebrating with his entire Red Bull teamCredit: Getty
It left Hamilton a sitting duck on old tyres as Verstappen swooped past on the final lap to take his first world title.
Mercedes’ protest was based on two regulations: Article 48.12 and Article 48.8 of the F1 Sporting Regulations.
The first was rejected after three hours when Verstappen was cleared of overtaking behind the safety car.
And the second was rejected as Red Bull argued that the rules say “any” cars rather than “all cars” while Masi was also cleared of any breaches.
As the Red Bull team celebrated with Queen’s “We are the Champions playing from their garage”, Hamilton trudged out of the paddock.
The manner in which this title was decided will wrangle with Mercedes, while F1 drivers were also scathing over how it was handled.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was not impressed with the outcome – and the team have appealedCredit: Sky Sports
FIA race director Michael Masi has come in for huge criticismCredit: Getty
Red Bull boss Christian Horner was delightedCredit: Getty
George Russell, who will be Hamilton’s team-mate next season, Tweeted: “THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!
“Max is an absolutely fantastic driver who has had an incredible season and I have nothing but huge respect for him, but what just happened is absolutely unacceptable.
“I cannot believe what we’ve just seen.”
Former F1 world champions were also critical of the FIA’s handling of the final few laps.
Damon Hill, who won the title 1996, added: “This is like running a motor race in a way we’ve not been used to in the past.
“They’ve kept us guessing all the time as to which way a decision is going to go. One team who is not going to be complaining about what happened is Red Bull.”
Nico Rosberg, the last man to beat Hamilton to the title in 2016, said: “First they said you’re not allowed to unlap themselves, then they changed that once they saw it was safe to do so.
“The thing is that in the document it says ‘all cars will be required to unlap themselves’ and yet they only let those five cars that were between Lewis and Verstappen unlap themselves.”
Nicholas Lafiti’s crash saw the safety car deployed and gave Verstappen the chance to cut the leadCredit: Sky Sports
Lando Norris, who was right in the mix and one of the five cars ordered to get out of the way, says he was equally baffled when the instruction came.
He said: “At first we weren’t allowed to overtake, as the backmarkers, so if that influenced decisions to Mercedes and to Lewis and that’s the reason they didn’t do their pit-stop.
“But then the FIA suddenly changed their minds and they were allowed to let us past. That’s where I’m not so sure. For it to end like that, I’m not so sure.”
Hamilton’s brother Anthony also blasted the FIA on social media.
He wrote on Instagram: “The FIA broke their own rules, which is a disgrace to our whole sport.
“Nevertheless, regardless of being mistreated today, the Hamilton’s were humble in defeat.
“My father, the guy who raised us, congratulating Max & his father Jos.
People can say what they like, but my Father’s gesture proves all of the doubters & haters wrong & shows who we are as ‘The Hamilton’s’.
“Proving people wrong is in our DNA, which Lewis does on a daily basis.
“With utter professionalism & decency in defeat, even though we all know, that he was let down by the sport that he has given so much to.
“Congratulations to Max for such a fantastic season from him.”
Verstappen finally overtook Hamilton on the final lap of the seasonCredit: Getty
Hamilton’s dad Anthony gave his son a cuddle at the end of the raceCredit: PA
Verstappen posing with his first F1 world crownCredit: Getty More

MERCEDES launched a protest to F1 race stewards after Max Verstappen seemed to pass Lewis Hamilton BEFORE the safety car had left the track. Pictures from the season finale at Yas Marina show Verstappen overtaking Hamilton BEFORE the safety car had officially left, although Mercedes have been unsuccessful in their protest against it.
Verstappen overtaking HamiltonCredit: Sky Sports
Mercedes have lodged a protest against the resultCredit: Sky Sports
The pictures show Verstappen in front of the Brit, with the safety car yet to officially finishCredit: Sky Sports
From an onboard camera on the Dutchman’s car there is clear track in front of him, with Hamilton’s car just about visible to the left of screen.
So the pictures seem to show Verstappen actually pulling ahead of Hamilton before technically being allowed to do so.
The shots come prior to the safety car officially coming to an end.
But a statement from race stewards read: “Although (VER) did, for a very short period of time, move slightly in front of (HAM), when both were accelerating and braking, moved back behind and not in front when safety car period ended.”
Mercedes launched protests on two counts after the incident, with the saga looking like it could rumble on long into the night.
They are ‘relating to alleged breaches of Articles 48.8 and 48.12 of the FIA Sporting Regulations’ and involve the apparent overtaking by Vertsappen and the way some lapped cars were allowed to pass Hamilton and others weren’t before the race restarted.
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Race stewards could have dramatically OVERTURN the result if they find Verstappen to have breached any rules while overtaking.
But after the protest on the overtake was rejected, the appeal on cars passing Hamilton has also been thrown out by stewards.
It means Verstappen has been confirmed as world champion.
Hamilton had seemed destined to secure a record eighth world title until a late safety car allowed Verstappen to overtake the Brit on the last lap of the race.
He was leading in Abu Dhabi by more than ten seconds before the safety car was called on lap 54 when Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barriers.
That allowed Verstappen to hone in on Hamilton, before using his fresher tyres to edge in front of the seven-time world champ right at the death.
He was able to close the gap after stewards decided to allow lapped cars to pass Hamilton, leaving the Dutchman with clear track in front of him.
It came after stewards had initially indicated lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen would stay in their formation. More

TYSON FURY has defended Max Verstappen after the F1 star’s latest controversy with Lewis Hamilton.Verstappen, 24, clashed with the Brit in the sensational Saudi Arabian GP on Sunday that was won by Hamilton.
Tyson Fury has leaped to Max Verstappen’s defenceCredit: Instagram @gypsyking101
The Dutch F1 has blasted after he caused Lewis Hamilton to crash into him at Saudi Arabian GPCredit: Splash
That has now set up a one-race winner-takes-all finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
Both drivers are level on points going into the last race of the season after nine months of intense action-packed racing.
Hamilton’s victory in Jeddah came after Verstappen was penalised by the stewards.
Once was for cutting a corner and another time for brake-testing Hamilton, as the two made contact for the third time this season.
It was the second one that made the most headlines and left Hamilton’s Mercedes chief Toto Wolff fuming.
Supporters and colleagues from both the Merc and the Red Bull camps have been verbally at war since.
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But ahead of the highly-anticipated climax on Sunday, boxing’s WBC world heavyweight champion has now offered his two pence worth.
And he opted to defend the Dutchman rather than stick the boot in to his fellow countryman’s foe.
In a clip posted on Instagram, Fury said: “I’ve just been reading up about the F1 rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and how Max is being made out to be a bit of a bad boy
“It’s not nice, especially when you are young and ambitious and want to win.
“Give him a bit of a break – he’s only a young lad trying his best.
“Good luck to both men in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.”
He added: “This rivalry reminds me a bit of James Hunt and Niki Lauda racing for the title.
“Who is going to win it boys? Come on the boys!”
Lewis Hamilton will battle Verstappen for the F1 title this weekendCredit: Rex More