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Is Mercedes pushing it too far with demands to the FIA? 'Bit uncomfortable'

14 January 2022 at 19:27
Last update 14 January 2022 at 20:06
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  • GPblog.com

More than a month after the much-discussed final race in which Max Verstappen fulfilled his dream of becoming Formula One world champion, people are still talking about the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sky Sports devoted a special online broadcast to the final race and its implications for Lewis Hamilton, who would leave his decision whether or not to return to the race to be determined by the FIA's investigation.

The analysts of the British medium already indicated that they did not believe for a moment that Hamilton would want to hang up his helmet as a result of Michael Masi's decision on the last lap of the race. Former Formula One driver Martin Brundle adds that if Hamilton really had doubts, it would have more to do with his own motivation to race.

Brundle thinks Mercedes should not interfere with the FIA

Some say the seven-time world champion would have trouble appearing on the grid with Masi as race director, but Brundle doesn't think that's a reason to quit. "I'm a little bit uncomfortable of a team and a driver starting to determine who is doing what in Race Control, or any other role in F1 - that's the tail wagging the dog to a certain extent," he says.

He continues: "If I was a Formula 1 boss and my driver came to me and said I don't want to race anymore if that guy is staying around, I would immediately stop thinking about race control and thinking has my driver lost his motivation." Brundle adds that he doesn't believe Hamilton has lost his motivation, but he does think the line has to be drawn somewhere in terms of teams interfering in FIA matters.