FIA rule on Mercedes-Force India 'collusion' claims

Mercedes and Force India have been cleared of colluding to allow Lewis Hamilton to pass Esteban Ocon at the Monaco Grand Prix. Silver Arrows team boss Toto Wolff had suggested that Mercedes junior Ocon was under orders from elsewhere than Force India in Monte Carlo.

After pitting, Hamilton emerged behind Ocon, but the Frenchman put up no fight at all, allowing the standings leader to move past at the exit of the tunnel.

Hamilton went on to secure third place, while Ocon kept hold of the sixth place he had secured in qualifying.

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Force India COO Otmar Szafnauer dismissed any suggestion of outside influence in the decision to let Hamilton through, with the FIA accepting their version of events that Ocon instead had his eyes on Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly behind him.

"The reason for that, I don't care what Toto says, was we were running our own race, not against Lewis at the time," said Szafnauer. "And we didn't want to lose any time whatsoever.

"And it was Alonso who pitted just before and tried to undercut us, and what we didn't want to do was lose any time at all with Lewis such that Alonso would have a chance to get us, which is why we told Esteban not to lose any time to Lewis.

"Because if you're racing in your mirrors, you don't go as fast. Even if it's a couple of tenths a lap, it's too much. And when you're really close with some guy trying to undercut you, you can't do it.

"What you can do is hold him back for five, six, seven laps, he gets you anyway, but now you've lost out to Lewis, and you've lost out to the guy you're really racing. You're not racing him on track because he's pitted already, and you haven't."