autoevolution
 

Mercedes GP Gives Up Schumacher Appeal

Mercedes Grand Prix issued a press release on Tuesday in which it announced it had decided not to submit an appeal following Michael Schumacher’s penalty.

On the final lap of the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes GP Petronas instructed our drivers, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, to race from safety car line one until the finish line as permitted under articles 40.7 and 40.11”, reads the team’s press release.

Mercedes GP Petronas were fully aware of article 40.13 which states that no overtaking is permitted if the race finishes under safety car conditions. However we believed that the combination of the race control messages ‘Safety Car in this lap’ and ‘Track Clear’ and the green flags and lights shown by the marshals after safety car line one indicated that the race was not finishing under the safety car and all drivers were free to race”, the Mercedes release explained.

The German team showed in the document that its interpretation of the situation has been shared “by the majority of the teams with cars in the top ten positions who also gave their drivers instructions to race to the finish line”.

After discussing the matter with the stewards, Mercedes GP realized that they understood the reasons for the team’s interpretation. According to the German team, the stewards “acknowledged this was a new and previously untested situation but ultimately disagreed with our interpretation”.

Whilst we cannot be happy with the outcome, we are pleased that the FIA has recognized the reasons for our interpretation. Therefore in the best interests of the sport, Mercedes GP Petronas will not be submitting an appeal”, ends the statement.

Mercedes GP thinks the stewards acted “professionally, impartially and properly in this matter” and is content that the FIA has agreed to include article 40.13 on the agenda of the next Sporting Working Group for discussion. However, Schumacher's 20-second penalty is considered "disproportionate in the circumstances".
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories