Although Mercedes has chosen to withdraw its appeal over the final result of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the German manufacturer remains deeply unhappy with the way events at the end of the race were handled.
Mercedes had already decided not to send its Formula 1 (in the constructors’ championship) and Formula E champion cars to Paris for photos prior to the award ceremony on Thursday, and now it has been confirmed that neither Hamilton nor Toto Wolff will attend.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Wolff said Mercedes would be represented to collect its constructors’ championship trophy by its technical chief, James Allison .
“None of us will be there,” Wolff explained when asked if he or Lewis Hamilton would travel to Paris for the season-ending event.
“I will not be there because of my loyalty to Lewis and because of my own personal integrity.”
“But we will be represented as a team by James Alison , who will collect the trophy on behalf of all the people of Brackley and Brixworth , who should celebrate our eighth consecutive world title, which deserves to be celebrated, because it is a fantastic achievement that we are very proud of.” .
Wolff admitted he found it difficult to balance the joy of Mercedes winning its eighth constructors’ championship with the way the FIA handled the final laps of the Yas Marina race.
“In a way I’m trying to balance the anger at the result of the F1 drivers’ championship and, on the other hand, the pride and joy of having achieved something unprecedented and something to celebrate.
Hamilton’s absence from the FIA Awards Gala is a breach of F1 sporting regulations, which requires the top three finishers in the championship to attend.
Article 6.6 of the F1 Sporting Regulations states: “The drivers who finish first, second and third in the championship must be present at the annual FIA prize-giving ceremony.”
It is not yet clear if the FIA will impose any sanction for not attending the event to a Hamilton who on Sunday already skipped the official press conference after the race and his commitments with the media.
