Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff mentioned the staff had consulted legal professionals about their state of affairs and they’re in conversations with the FIA on the matter.
Wolff mentioned: “We have been on the telephone with our legal professionals to have a look at what can we do for George. A drive-through, if it did not occur on the finish, is equal of 20 seconds race time. What would 20 seconds race time have meant for his consequence?
“Do we expect that we realistically have a place, an opportunity of reverting the consequence? I do not assume so, however we positively have to provide it a go if we see that there’s a millimetre of probability to take action and convey him again to no matter it was earlier than.”
McLaren staff principal Andrea Stella mentioned it was “a really complicated case and we do really feel we must always contemplate interesting”.
The state of affairs raises the chance that Russell may lose the championship as a consequence of an error by race officers.
However there may be already precedent for that occuring.
In Abu Dhabi in 2021, race director Michael Masi incorrectly utilized the principles throughout a safety-car interval on the finish of the race, and his actions led on to Lewis Hamilton being overtaken on the final lap by Max Verstappen, and the championship passing from the Briton to the Dutchman.
At the moment, Mercedes challenged the choice however their protest was rejected.
There have been questions on how the FIA carried out that state of affairs on that day, particularly because it was later admitted that Masi had dedicated a “human error” and was sacked.
However stewards realised there was nothing throughout the guidelines that they might do to change the consequence.
On this case, there appears to have been a sequence of failures of communication throughout the FIA and between the FIA and the official timekeepers offered by industrial rights holder F1.
Groups raised the difficulty of the pit-lane pace restrict throughout the weekend and their feedback have been ignored.
These conversations have been, it appears, not handed to the stewards, nor to the timekeepers.
And terribly, when stewards requested the race director throughout the race whether or not there have been any considerations concerning the measurement of the pit-lane restrict, they have been advised there weren’t, though there have been some within the FIA who have been conscious of considerations there could be.
The state of affairs additionally raises points about how groups react to in-race penalties sooner or later. Many – resembling pit-lane pace limits – can’t be appealed in opposition to by regulation. Will groups now ignore all of them to combat after a race?
