© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
The stewards have rejected Mercedes’ protest regarding the restart and the Safety Car procedures at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Here is the explanation from the stewards:
“That Article 15.3 allows the Race Director to control the use of the safety car, which in our determination includes its deployment and withdrawal.
“That although Article 48.12 may not have been applied fully, in relation to the safety car returning to the pits at the end of the following lap, Article 48.13 overrides that and once the message “Safety Car in this lap” has been displayed, it is mandatory to withdraw the safety car at the end of that lap.
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“That notwithstanding Mercedes’ request that the Stewards remediate the matter by amending the classification to reflect the positions at the end of the penultimate lap, this is a step that the Stewards believe is effectively shortening the race retrospectively, and hence not appropriate.
“Accordingly, the Protest is dismissed. The Protest Deposit is not refunded.”
Mercedes now has the option of taking its protest to FIA’s Court of Appeal. However the whole process must conclude by the FIA Prize Giving ceremony on Thursday. There are no more appeals after the trophy has been handed to the champion.
