Mercedes' fury at 'laughable' Formula 1 call

3 years ago 304

Mercedes squad brag Toto Wolff says the determination not to penalise Max Verstappen implicit an incidental with Lewis Hamilton during the Brazilian Grand Prix was "laughable."

The 2 title rivals went instrumentality to instrumentality connected thigh 48 of the contention successful Sao Paulo, arsenic Hamilton tried to walk Verstappen astir the extracurricular of Turn 4.

Although determination was nary interaction betwixt the two, some cars ran disconnected the track, with Hamilton near with nary prime but to tally wide arsenic Verstappen failed to marque the corner.

Stewards noted the incident, but decided not to analyse further.

Hamilton won the race, cutting Verstappen's title pb to conscionable 14 points with 3 races remaining.

It was a play of contention for Mercedes, which saw Hamilton disqualified from qualifying for a rear helping infringement.

Wolff's fury extended to the information that Red Bull was allowed to alteration Verstappen's rear helping aft qualifying without penalty.

"We had a breached portion connected our rear helping which we couldn't look at, couldn't analyse, failed the test, and aft disqualified, precise harsh," Wolff said.

"And past you spot connected the Red Bull repairs, 3 times successful a enactment connected a rear helping whilst being successful parc ferme with nary consequence.

"That's 1 thing, and evidently that truly peaked with the determination successful the race, which was, I mean, truly incorrect defence from Max, perfectly an inch implicit the limit, but helium needed to bash that to defend.

"Lewis conscionable managed it adjacent much brilliantly by avoiding the interaction and extremity the contention that way.

"But that was conscionable implicit the line, it should person been a five-second punishment astatine least. Probably Max knew that. Just brushing it nether the carpet, it's conscionable the extremity of the iceberg.

"It's conscionable laughable."

Wolff stopped abbreviated of suggesting the stewards were favouring Verstappen, who is looking to extremity Mercedes' tally of 7 consecutive satellite titles.

"I don't privation to assertion thing connected the stewards," helium said.

"I deliberation they person a hard beingness anyway. And they are lone determination to lose, immoderate determination they take, 1 squad is going to beryllium grumpy. In that respect, I don't privation to beryllium successful this chair.

"But successful a definite way, erstwhile you're taking punches each weekend, and past you person specified a concern connected apical of everything, you're conscionable losing religion successful a way."

Speaking connected Sky Sports instantly aft the race, Hamilton seemed to suggest immoderate probe would beryllium a discarded of time.

"When they said they were going to investigate, I conscionable knew the determination they were going to travel to, whether it was close oregon wrong," helium said.

"I didn't fto it faze me, I conscionable kept racing.

"I'm not gonna spell into that. I request to look backmost astatine it, but I mean, it's a racing incidental astatine the extremity of the day, probably.

"It doesn't truly matter, arsenic I got the effect I needed."

Had Verstappen been fixed a 5 2nd clip penalty, helium would person dropped to 3rd down Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas, sacrificing a further 3 points successful the title race.

It's the latest successful a drawstring of incidents betwixt the arch-rivals, astir notably a clang connected the opening thigh of the British Grand Prix that saw Verstappen taken to hospital, and again astatine the Italian Grand Prix when some drivers were eliminated from the race.

The conflict resumes aboriginal this week with the archetypal ever Qatar Grand Prix.

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