FIA stewards did not judge Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen incident, deemed new evidence insignificant

Mercedes' request for the "Right of Review" over the Brazil Grand Prix's Lap 48 incident between Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen has been rejected by the FIA. The decision came after a hearing between representatives of both teams was adjourned.

The Silver Arrows team had filed the request in light of new evidence in the form of previously unseen onboard footage that emerged after the race. However, the evidence has been deemed too insignificant to be granted a Right of Review of the incident.

An important underlying statement from the FIA’s decision on the review read as follows:

“It is important to note that the following is not an affirmation or review of the stewards' determination made during the race, but rather is an assessment regarding whether the Right of Review exists.”

The FIA's hearing over the Right of Review request did not relate to penalizing the incident or investigating the matter. Instead, it was to review the significance of the new evidence to consider a possible re-investigation. Upon viewing said evidence, the FIA has rejected Mercedes' request and the decision is not subject to any further appeal.

The hearing involved a discussion between representatives of the teams and FIA officials about whether the new footage was significant, which the FIA deemed relevant but not significant.

Following the incident between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the stewards noted the incident and deemed any investigation unnecessary, based on the evidence available to them.

The FIA stewards’ decision does not imply whether the incident deserved a penalty or not. It only states that the evidence available at the time of the original decision was significant enough to pass judgement.

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Lewis Hamilton outside top three in first free practice session of Qatar Grand Prix

While Mercedes and Red Bull F1 argued their cases to the FIA, reigning champion Lewis Hamilton was unable to set a time good enough to classify him among the top-three fastest drivers in FP1 at Qatar.

The Briton suffered from front-wing issues due to vibrations caused by the high kerbs at the circuit. Lewis Hamilton was fourth-fastest, 0.786 seconds slower than his title rival Max Verstappen.