PARIS, France — Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes group boss Toto Wolff won’t attend the FIA’s prize giving ceremony in Paris on Thursday night, Wolff confirmed.
The choice to not attend comes within the wake of Mercedes’ choice to not enchantment the results of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which noticed Max Verstappen take the title victory from Hamilton in controversial circumstances on the ultimate lap of the race.
Underneath Article 6.6 of Formulation One’s sporting rules, the highest three drivers within the championship are required to attend the ceremony to select up trophies, however following the occasions of the previous couple of days Hamilton, who completed second, has determined to not attend.
Wolff was invited to Paris to select up the constructors’ trophy, which Mercedes received for the eighth 12 months in a row, but additionally determined to not attend. It’s understood Mercedes chief technical officer, James Allison, will decide up the trophy on the group’s behalf.
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In an announcement on Thursday morning, Mercedes confirmed it will withdraw its intention to enchantment the results of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix however that it plans to carry the FIA accountable for the occasions in Abu Dhabi. The FIA stated on Wednesday it will examine the ultimate laps as a part of a “clarification train”, which Mercedes and different F1 groups might be part of.
Mercedes was livid at how the race completed, after FIA race director Michael Masi appeared to disregard sure elements of the sporting rules in an effort to make sure the title battle was determined by one last lap of racing after a number of laps behind the security automotive.
The hasty restart, which noticed solely the vehicles between Hamilton and Verstappen unlap themselves, gave Verstappen the chance to move Hamilton on the ultimate lap, serving to him safe the championship with a race victory.
Hamilton’s Mercedes group protested the race outcomes after the chequered flag, with a give attention to the articles of the sporting rules that had been ignored to get racing again underway for one last lap.