Incoming Mercedes operator George Russell has voiced his outrage aft a melodramatic extremity to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw Red Bull's Max Verstappen crowned the Formula 1 satellite champion.
After retiring from the contention connected thigh 26, Russell watched connected arsenic his Williams teammate Nicholas Latifi crashed precocious successful the race, triggering the information car to beryllium deployed and the tract to clump up with 4 laps remaining.
Despite earlier announcing that nary lapped cars would beryllium allowed to walk the information car, the FIA reversed their determination to let lone the 5 drivers separating rubric rivals Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to spell by.
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This acceptable the country for a hectic last thigh sprint to the chequered emblem which concluded with Verstappen overtaking Hamilton connected fresher tyres to snatch the title from the Mercedes driver, who had maintained a ascendant pb for the bulk of the race.
Russell swiftly took to societal media, calling the FIA's determination to orchestrate a last thigh showdown "unacceptable".
"Max is an perfectly fantastic operator who has had an unthinkable play and I person thing but immense respect for him, but what conscionable happened is perfectly unacceptable. I cannot judge what we've conscionable seen," helium wrote connected Twitter.
McLaren operator Lando Norris was likewise bewildered, feeling uneasy astir things unfolded post-race.
"I'm not excessively definite what was said from the FIA. At first, we weren't allowed to overtake arsenic backmarkers, truthful if that influenced decisions to Mercedes and to Lewis and that's the crushed they didn't bash the pit stop, but past the FIA abruptly changed their minds and they were allowed to fto america past, past that's wherever I'm not truthful sure," helium said.
"In presumption of the decision, for it to extremity similar that, I'm not truthful sure."
F1 rubric decided by melodramatic final-lap shootout
Speaking earlier Mercedes announced its volition to protestation and appeal, Sky Sport's commentary squad shared mixed opinions connected the fairness of the result.
"Unfortunately for them (Mercedes) they got deed with a precise unexpected, abrupt alteration of caput - evident alteration of caput - astir however they were going to spell and restart this race," said 1996 satellite champion Damon Hill.
Former teammates of Hamilton - Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg - reflected connected the peculiarity of the situation.
"You deliberation the feline astatine the front, he's got the advantage, but he's benignant of stuck due to the fact that helium doesn't privation to springiness distant way position. Whereas Max tin conscionable travel in, enactment a marque caller acceptable of tyres connected and he's close down him arsenic they restart," said Button.
"The crushed wherefore he's stuck is helium doesn't cognize if the contention is going to decorativeness nether information car, truthful helium can't pit and enactment the brushed tyres connected and beryllium 2nd due to the fact that the contention mightiness decorativeness nether information car and past Verstappen is satellite champion. That's the problem," added Rosberg.
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