Mercedes files a claim against Max Verstappen, then withdraws it
Mercedes decided to lodge an official complaint against Max Verstappen's very forceful defense of Lewis Hamilton, before finally withdrawing it.
Since the beginning of the season and especially since his move to Red Bull, Max Verstappen has distinguished himself with numerous maneuvers that have sparked discussion. While his defense against Kimi Räikkönen in Spain earned him only compliments, the one during the Spa-Francorchamps Grand Prix generated much more debate. To the point that an informal discussion took place between the Dutch driver and Charlie Whitting during the Monza weekend.
Once again, the 19-year-old driver made his mark during the Japanese Grand Prix. This time, he executed a robust defense against Lewis Hamilton in the penultimate lap. The Briton was coming on strong and attempted a maneuver on the inside of the last chicane. However, the Red Bull driver positioned himself in the middle of the track and waited for the Mercedes driver to make his move before he himself shifted and closed the door.
On the radio, Lewis Hamilton pointed out that his rival had moved over while he was already braking. This type of maneuver is not illegal but is subject to a gentlemen’s agreement between drivers to avoid dangerous situations.
Mercedes has therefore filed a complaint with the FIA, as revealed by the Federation: « *A complaint has been filed by Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team against car 33 driven by Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing for a violation of Article 27.5 of the Formula One sporting regulations, which would have caused him to drive erratically and dangerously, forcing car 44 to take corrective action in turn 16.* »
However, during the press conference, Lewis Hamilton seemed to have already moved on, stating: « I fought until the end but it didn’t happen. It doesn’t matter much now. It’s done, and we’re moving forward. »
Mercedes wished to demonstrate that it defends the interests of its two drivers to the maximum and thus uses all means at its disposal to offer fair treatment between the two rivals for the title. But Lewis Hamilton has announced that he is opposed to such an approach.
There is no protest from myself. Just heard the team had but I told them it is not what we do. We are champions, we move on. End of!
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 9 octobre 2016
The team then announced that it was withdrawing its complaint, which allowed the final ranking to be ratified.
