Mercedes have a “good legal basis” to appeal against the result of the Formula 1 title race with which Max Verstappen won the last lap.
Lewis Hamilton led for the majority of the race and when Nicholas Latifi crashed causing a safety car to hit the track. After the debris was cleared, Race Director Michael Masi unloaded five cars, allowing Verstappen to overtake Hamilton and win the championship.
Toto Wolff’s team protested after the race but they were sacked, and Mercedes has until Thursday to file an official appeal which lawyer Nicholas Bamber said could succeed.
“This interpretation seems – at first glance – to be incompatible with a simple view of the regulations,” he told Race News.
“It also directly contradicts Michael Masi’s approach under similar circumstances at the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, when he said that the sporting regulations must signal all lapped cars to pass before the safety car returns to the pit lane and the race can restart.” the safety car phase was a little longer than we normally would have wanted ”- ie the race director cannot override the appropriate application of the regulations, including the full application of Article 48.12.
“Article 1.1.1 of the FIA International Sports Act 2021 makes it clear that the regulations should be enforced ‘on the basis of the basic principles of safety and sporting fairness’. [emphasis added].
“Part of sporting fairness revolves around the consistent application of the rules of sport. Therefore, there seems to be a good legal basis on which Mercedes could appeal. “
