Verstappen verdict avoided 'Pandora's box being opened'

Red Bull - Mercedes

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Verstappen verdict avoided 'Pandora's box being opened' - Horner

Mercedes has clarity it sought after stewards rejected right-to-review petition

Ian Parkes & Sam Hall

Friday 19 November 2021 14:26

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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner feels the FIA 'avoided a Pandora's box scenario' following the decision of the stewards in the Brazilian Grand Prix clash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

After a four-hour session across two periods on Thursday, the stewards finally delivered their verdict to deny Mercedes a review of the lap-48 incident from Interlagos where both title protagonists ran off the track.

Horner described the outcome as "obviously the right decision".

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He added: "It would open Pandora’s Box regarding a whole bunch of other incidents that happened in that race.

"I think the most important thing to do now is to focus on this race [Qatar GP]."

Sitting alongside him in an FIA press conference as the decision was announced, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the verdict was "completely expected".

Wolff explained the petition was more aimed at establishing the rules of engagement ahead of the final three races of the hotly contested season.

"We wanted to trigger a discussion around it because probably it will be a theme in the next few races and I think that objective is achieved.

“We didn’t really think it would go any further.”

Verstappen defence "far away from any of the levels" acceptable in F1

Despite having received the expected verdict from the stewards, Wolff was still left questioning Verstappen's actions.

“I think what you see on the video is clear to everybody who has ever raced a car," added Wolff.

“Obviously, it is far away from any of the levels that any driver in Formula 1 can do. That corner was not meant to be a corner where he stayed on track and he didn’t mean to stay on track.

“That is my personal interpretation but I shouldn’t be judging anyone’s driving because if I could, I should be driving and not sitting in a chair making comments.”

Wolff would neither confirm nor deny if the 'new' evidence submitted was solely the onboard footage from Verstappen's car which was unavailable to the stewards at the time of the incident.

“I think we made the little dossier without investing too much time, particularly not of the engineers that are involved in the performance of the car," he said.

"It was premeditated where that would go but still we wanted to make this case, also to make it public."