The Mercedes move. As foreseen by article 14.1.1 of the International Sporting Code, Mercedes has filed a request for a review of the judgment formulated by the Race Commissioners on the duel that saw Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in Turn 4 at Interlagos on lap 48. As you know, the Dutch driver widened his trajectory to defend himself, taking his British rival with him off the track: the maneuver was noticed, but then not investigated by the stewards. At the end of the race, Michael Masi, head of the judging panel, revealed that he had not had other shots available outside of the television ones (since the additional ones are added in the investigation phase), a detail that prompted Mercedes to evaluate – and then submit – a request for review. The stewards made their decision as the case was deemed doubtful, and in similar situations, as agreed with the teams and drivers, it was decided to keep the “let it go” line.
The new evidence. The Commissioners did not have the images of Max Verstappen’s cameracar available, which were then shown in a video released on social media by Formula 1 on Tuesday. From the frames, in particular the front one, you can see the Red Bull driver slightly opening the steering wheel once the offending corner has been approached. “My tires were damaged, I was unable to take the apex of the corner. For me it was safer to enlarge “, had commented the world leader to the microphones of the journalists at the end of the race. Mercedes considers this video as a new test, enough to give stewards a different perspective on the maneuver. Hence the intention to make use of the right of revision, as reported by the Germans of Auto, Motor und Sport.
Max vs Lewis ⚔️
Every angle on their Lap 48 battle 👀 #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 # F1 pic.twitter.com/9NLHajCiPv
– Formula 1 (@ F1) November 16, 2021
Scenarios. In the past, a review of the case has rarely led to a change of decision, just think of what happened at Silverstone. In any case, a 5-second penalty on the Brazilian GP result could cause Max Verstappen to slide from second to third, while a relegation on the Qatar starting grid is even more unlikely.
Clearly the move of Toto Wolff’s men is contained in an all-out battle scenario between Mercedes and Red Bull, and the words of the Austrian on the sidelines of the race, precisely on the episode in question, let emerge a certain desire to prolong the discussion: “Max was with the knife between his teeth and positioned himself very well. But in doing so, a five second penalty is to be expected. Dismissing everything as a normal racing accident is embarrassing, it is hiding reality under the carpet ”.
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