© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
FIA race director Michael Masi admits the stewards did not look at onboard footage of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s incident, despite previously saying they “looked at it all completely”.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen went side-by-side on Turn 4 of Lap 48 of the Brazilian Grand Prix, when Verstappen decided to go wide a push Hamilton off the track.
The stewards noted the incident, but later decided that no action will be taken against Verstappen.
When Mercedes’ Sporting Director Ron Meadows asked Race Director Michael Masi to clarify the decision, Masi informed him that the stewards’ decision was final.
“So crowding off track and gaining an unfair advantage – and no action necessary?” Meadows asked Masi during the race.
To this Masi responded: “Ron, having looked at it all completely it was one of those. Obviously had a good look at it, that’s why we’ve gone for no investigation.”
Well, after the race Masi revealed that the stewards did not in fact look “at it all completely”, they didn’t look at the onboard footage from Verstappen’s car, the footage that would clearly show if his move was deliberate.
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“[The footage] hasn’t been obtained yet,” Masi told reporters.
“It’s been requested. It’s only the cameras that are broadcast is basically what we have access to throughout the week.”
When asked if the footage might give more insight into the incident, Masi said it could.
“It could be, absolutely, potentially, absolutely. But we didn’t have access to it. Obviously, it’s been downloaded and once we do, and once the commercial rights holder supplies it, we’ll have a look.
“You judge the incident on its merits, and you have a look at all of it. Let’s not forget, we have the overall ‘let them race’ principles, and looking at it all, with all of the angles that we had available, that philosophy was adopted.
“They’re give or take about side-on-side, so I think that for the benefit of everyone, it was the ‘let them race’ and we let them race,” concluded Masi.
Well, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff wasn’t happy about this, and he let it be known.
