As the new FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem emphasized, breaking the rules will not be forgiven. After all, the Technical Director James Allison picked up at least the trophy for the Constructors’ World Cup when honoring the new Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton’s Finnish team-mate Valtteri Bottas was celebrated for third place. According to the rules, the top three of the drivers’ classification must be present at the gala, the penalty is not defined. “Rules are rules,” said ben Sulayem.
In a controversial final Grand Prix of the year in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen only had a Mercedes driver on the last lap Hamilton caught in the world championship fight. The Englishman missed out on becoming the sole record world champion ahead of Michael Schumacher with an eighth title. Subsequently, the Silver Arrows challenged the ranking, but ultimately decided not to appeal.
