Mercedes requests right of review as new Verstappen camera angle emerges

F1

Mercedes has formally requested a review of Verstappen's controversial defence of the lead in Brazil

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Verstappen's TV camera was unavailable to the race stewards at the time of the incident

NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images

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Mercedes has confirmed it has requested a right of review of the incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton from the Brazilian Grand Prix.

A crucial camera angle from the Red Bull driver emerged on Tuesday that showed Verstappen’s late turn-in at T4 as both he and Hamilton ran wide and off the circuit.

In a statement, Mercedes said that under Article 14.1.1 of the International Sporting Code, the new footage from the Red Bull amounted to fresh evidence that was unavailable to the race stewards at the time of the incident.

After the chequered flag, FIA race director Michael Masi admitted that the front-facing camera angle from Verstappen’s car was not available to the stewards at the time of the incident.

The move was noted by race stewards during the race though no action was deemed necessary and no formal investigation was recorded.

“The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team confirms that we have today requested a Right of Review under Article 14.1.1 of the International Sporting Code, in relation to the Turn 4 incident between Car 44 and Car 33 on lap 48 of the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, on the basis of new evidence unavailable to the Stewards at the time of their decision,” the statement read.

Should there be a penalty handed out to Verstappen, it is unclear as to what the punishment would be.

Lando Norris earned a five-second time penalty for crowding Sergio Perez off the road during the Austrian GP earlier this year. Perez was also handed the same penalty for forcing another driver off the circuit performing a similar move on Charles Leclerc later in the race.

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A time penalty would put Valtteri Bottas ahead of the Red Bull in the finishing order, dropping Verstappen to third and costing him three points in the drivers’ championship, leaving just an 11-point gap between him and Hamilton.

But, with the Brazilian GP race results official, a time penalty may not be the sanction handed out. Red Bull presented fresh camera angles as evidence after qualifying for the 2020 Austrian GP against Hamilton, who had finished second in the session. He was handed a three-place grid penalty for the race as a result.

During the Brazil race, Red Bull team manager Jonathan Wheatley argued with Masi that the incident was “all about letting them race” which the race director agreed with.

Mercedes’s Ron Meadows insisted that Verstappen had crowded Hamilton off the track though Masi claimed the stewards had reviewed all the evidence and decided against a penalty.

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