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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the Brazilian Grand Prix
Photo: DPPI / imago images / PanoramiC
Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes team protests against a decision by the race stewards in favor of world championship leader Max Verstappen at the Formula 1 race in Brazil.
On Tuesday, the racing team subsequently requested a review of the tough duel between Verstappen and Hamilton at the Grand Prix on Sunday, when the Red Bull driver had pushed the Silver Arrows star off the track.
As a reason for the objection, Mercedes cited "new evidence that the stewards did not have at the time of their decision," it said.
These should be recordings from the onboard camera.
If Verstappen is subsequently punished, he could possibly slip backwards in the race standings and thus lose further points to Hamilton.
At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton almost overtook the Dutchman on the outside on lap 48, but Verstappen left him no space.
Both pilots raced over the curb.
The stewards made a note of the incident but did not consider an investigation to be necessary.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had criticized this shortly after crossing the finish line.
It was "an absolute mess not to get a penalty for being pushed out," Wolff scolded the TV broadcaster Sky.
To dismiss the maneuver as a racing incident and "wipe under the carpet is actually embarrassing for the race management," said Wolff.
The fact that Hamilton was relocated to the bottom of the field after qualifying for the sprint in Brazil because of a non-compliant rear wing caused additional fuel.
"We took a lot of hits this weekend," said Wolff.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, on the other hand, said: “The two fight hard, there is no contact between the two.
I have no problem with it. ”A little later, Hamilton had overtaken Verstappen and won the race.
The Qatar Grand Prix will continue next Sunday.
However, it seems questionable whether the rulers will subsequently impose a penalty on Verstappen.
In the World Championship standings, Verstappen has a 14 point lead three races before the end of the season.
ara / dpa / sid
