Lewis Hamilton's largely-unaired radio message to his team on final lap emerges. Photo / AP
Lewis Hamilton's largely-unaired radio message to his team on final lap emerges. Photo / AP
Mercedes are considering scrapping plans to appeal the outcome of the Formula 1 world championship, despite Sir Lewis Hamilton claiming its epic finale had "been manipulated" in a largely-unaired radio message to his team.
An update was expected on Thursday on whether Hamilton's team would continue to contest a ruling by officials during the final laps of Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which cruelly denied him a record-breaking eighth title.
Having lost an initial appeal against a decision relating to the deployment of the safety car – which allowed Max Verstappen to pit for fresh tyres and then slot in behind and surge past his helpless rival – Mercedes were leaning towards putting the reputation of the sport before their desire to correct what they deemed a major injustice.
That was despite the emergence of Hamilton's initial reaction to being passed by Verstappen, with the Brit shouting four corners before the chequered flag: "This has been manipulated, man."
The comment was not broadcast on the world feed but was heard on Hamilton's onboard channel on F1 TV.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain reacts after finishing second in the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Photo / AP
Much of the controversy centred around the decision by race control to order all lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to overtake the Mercedes before the final-lap shootout.
Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel – who were running in seventh to 11th places – were told to pass.
That was despite race control initially stating lapped cars would not be allowed to overtake and despite one interpretation of the regulations being that all such cars should do so, not just those between first and second place.
Norris said: "It was obviously made to be a fight, it was for the TV of course, it was for the result. Whether or not it was fair is not up to me to decide."
Alonso said: "When the safety car was out, I thought we were able to overtake quickly, because normally it is what happens. You see the green light of the safety car, and then you are unlapping yourself until they remove the car.
"But we didn't have that green signal, and then, two laps after, the engineer told me that you will not be able to unlap yourself, and the positions would stay like this.
"One corner later, the green light came on and I said, 'But we have a green light?' And they said, 'Yeah, yeah, you can do it now, follow Norris'. And I followed Norris. So it was a little bit confusing."
Max Verstappen is congratulated by Lewis Hamilton. Photo / Getty
Leclerc said: "For me, it was a bit weird because I was a bit in the middle of nowhere."
Vettel complained he got the message to pass Hamilton "too late", adding: "They should let us pass straight away like other times.
"And obviously, you have the guys fighting in the front. So you've just got to clear the path. I don't know what it was. For us it was a shame because we didn't have a race then, because everything was spread out."
Daniel Ricciardo ended up at the front of those obliged to wait behind Hamilton and Verstappen, with Lance Stroll and then third-placed Carlos Sainz Jr behind him.
"I was confused because I got that message that they won't overtake," said Ricciardo.
"Through my head I thought, 'That seems okay,' like I guess, fair, because Lewis had such a lead and Max has newer tyres, in this way he has to cut through a few cars if they're going to restart the race."
Sainz finished third but only just held on from Yuki Tsunoda's AlphaTauri.
He said: "I do believe it was a strange one, and maybe something to look at because it was very strange to see, and it nearly cost me my podium, to be honest."
