The race stewards considered both objections to be permissible hours after the end of the race. However, there was no subsequent penalty for Verstappen or Red Bull. The Dutchman continued to be rated as a race winner and also a world champion. Mercedes then announced its intention to appeal again.
After the Grand Prix victory in Verstappen, the Silver Arrows complained about two alleged breaches of the rules in the last race of the year on Sunday. Both incidents related to the last safety car phase shortly before the end, when Verstappen was finally able to overtake Hamilton and become world champion for the first time.
The first protest related to the fact that Verstappen should have illegally overtaken Hamilton during the safety car phase. The stewards also assessed the objection as admissible and agreed that the Dutchman is said to have been slightly ahead of the British for “a very short period of time”. At the end of the safety car phase, however, this no longer applied.
Mercedes also protested that before the end of the safety car phase, five lapped racing cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were allowed to overtake the safety car so that the way was clear for Verstappen’s successful attack. The lapped cars behind the Dutchman, however, were no longer allowed to overtake. In addition, the Safety Car went off the track immediately after the “rounding” instead of doing another lap in accordance with the regulations.
To this end, the stewards established that race director Michael Masi is authorized, according to the regulations, to control the safety car, including its use and withdrawal. A subsequent reduction in the duration of the race, as suggested by Mercedes, is also an inappropriate intervention.
