Why Mercedes needs to drop its FIA protest now or risk being the bad guy
👨🎤
The 2021 Formula 1 World Championship ended in controversy following a late restart of the safety car, but Mercedes now needs to drop its FIA protest – or risk getting rid of the bad guys saga.
Now that everyone has slept in on what happened at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, cooler heads can now prevail.
Tensions were understandably high on Sunday night in the pit of emotions in the paddock on Yas Island.
Of course, Mercedes wanted to protest the way race director Michael Massey handled the safety car period.
Both protests were dismissed by stewards in their initial appeals – and the team said they intended to appeal to the International Court of Appeals.
But Mercedes now needs to drop the protest. For F1, for Lewis Hamilton and, more importantly, for itself.
- disclose: What exactly are the F1 safety car rules?
Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Mercedes needs to drop FIA protest
A championship decided in court months after the season ends could be good for F1 all winter.
After all, there’s only one thing worse than being talked about, right?
The producer of a Netflix show might have drooled over the prospect too, but it would do incalculable damage for Mercedes to delay it now.
The longer Mercedes pursues protests and appeals, the more the team will look like losers and bad guys.
It looks like the eight-time constructors champion can’t handle the fact that they’ve been beaten by better drivers this season.
The World Championship is determined by 22 Grand Prix races in 2021 – not just one. Max Verstappen is the better driver.
Mercedes’ appeal casts doubt
In the UK, the race is broadcast for free on Channel 4, not just after the premium channel Sky Sports F1.
This opens up huge untapped potential for F1’s products. Maybe someone stumbled across it at Sunday lunch and decided to watch.
What they saw was an exciting final lap shootout between the king and the usurper for the world title, and they were determined to claim the title for themselves.
- explain: Is Max Verstappen now the youngest ever F1 world champion?
Our hypothetical fans won’t be upset about safety car restart violations or overlapping cars giving way.
They tune in to a straight fight and do whatever it takes, and that’s exactly what they get.
Hamilton must be held accountable
Hamilton complained that the race was “rigged”, and strict adherence to the rulebook showed he had a point.
The race should restart at the end of the next lap, after the car is allowed to clear itself – or at the end of the final lap.
That would give him his eighth title.
Sure, the old, worn, hard tires he was using held him back like anchors compared to Verstappen’s fresh soft rubber, but he still had track position.
Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Given his racing philosophy, a driver in the Hamilton class must have known that Verstappen would sprint towards him at Turn 5.
Why not park it at the apex and let Verstappen drive outside?
If he did, that would be fair enough. Hats off. The best one wins.
Mercedes protest doesn’t do any good
Dragging it off the track and onto the pitch is a completely predictable way for the 2021 championship to end – no matter what happens, who wins if it happens.
Now is the time for Mercedes to drop the protest and move on.
Sure, it’ll sting to fail that way, but that could serve as a motivator for 2022.
The longer it goes on, the more the team looks like a painful loser that needs to be sharpened.
Use that damage and pain to power up and regain lost titles.
Surely this is a better way for Mercedes to win the world championship than through protests, appeals and courts?
- disclose: How much does Max Verstappen get to win the F1 world championship?
Photo by Mario Renzi – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Is there anything to tell us about this article?
Jack usually writes or reads anything related to motorsport – from Formula 1 to NASCAR to British truck racing. His work as a motorsport reporter has been published in prestigious outlets such as Autosport, Motorsport.com and Motorsport News. In addition to racing, he is an avid amateur astronomer, podcast listener, and enjoys walks in the park with his three dogs.
Who was Manny Diaz’s wife Stephanie when the former Miami coach joined Penn State?Haley Van Lis and parents shed tears as Louisville advances to Final Four
Find more articles in our categories Celebrity & News et encore Wiki.
Thanks for visiting we hope our article Why Mercedes needs to drop its FIA protest now or risk being the bad guy
, help us and share the article on Facebook, instagram and whatsapp with the hashtag ☑️ #Mercedes #drop #FIA #protest #risk #bad #guy ☑️!