F1 make final race title demand of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

Hamilton, Verstappen, Saudi — Photo: © LAT Images

Lewis Hamilton - Max Verstappen

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F1 make final race title demand of Hamilton and Verstappen

Ross Brawn has called for championship to be won cleanly

Ian Parkes

Thursday 9 December 2021 05:00

Ross Brawn has called on Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to race cleanly in their F1 title decider on Sunday to avoid any possible court battle.

One of the greatest championship fights in F1 history reaches its conclusion in Abu Dhabi, with Hamilton and Verstappen facing a winner-takes-all showdown given they are tied on points.

Given the incidents between the pair this season, with race-ending crashes in Britain and Italy, and their no-holds-barred outing in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, F1 managing director motorsports Brawn has urged the duo to stay within the rules.

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"This sport has had everything this season and it gave us even more on Sunday," said Brawn, via his regular post-race column.

"So much intrigue, so much tension, so much fighting between the two main protagonists. It was just sensational.

"I think it’s been 47 years since we went into the last race with both contenders on the same points and I think everybody wants to see a fabulous contest in Abu Dhabi.

"It will be tough. Neither will give an inch, but we want a sporting competition. We don’t want to step over the line.

"We don’t want this championship to be decided by stewards' decisions and to end up in the appeal courts or elsewhere, it must end up on the track in Abu Dhabi with the best driver winning."

Brawn defends under-fire Masi

Brawn has also commended FIA race director Michael Masi's handling of the events of a race that contained a multitude of incidents.

Masi came under fire from various sources, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner even going so far as to suggest the sport missed Charlie Whiting.

But defending Masi, Brawn said: "The situation you had with Max and Lewis at the restart, when Michael recommended that Max drop behind Esteban [Ocon] and Lewis, was handled well as the alternative was to report him to the stewards and that could have ended up with a time penalty.

"I think Michael dealt with it pragmatically. This type of discussion goes on several times during a race. If a driver gets by someone or defends unfairly, the race director will tell the team to correct the position.

"Some people seem to think Michael was doing a deal. He wasn’t doing a deal. It was simple: you accept the decision of the race director, with a known outcome, or it gets passed to the stewards to handle it."