A punishment for Hamilton? New president will make a decision

Friday morning it was announced that Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the new president of the FIA and thus the successor of Jean Todt. He is also the man who will have to look after the non-appearance of Lewis Hamilton at the FIA gala.

Thursday evening was the official FIA Prize Giving Ceremony where the drivers and teams who have become champions receive a trophy. Mercedes announced on Thursday morning that they would not appeal the world title of Max Verstappen, but they subsequently announced that not all members of the team would go to Paris for the award ceremony. Toto Wolff ended up not showing up, but Hamilton didn't attend either.

For Wolff there are no consequences, but the seven-time world champion broke the rules. Drivers finishing in the top three have to be present at the prize-giving. Ben Sulayem understands the disappointment of Mercedes and the Brit, but he will have to look at the rules. "We can't just ignore the rules when there is a violation. But it is also important that a champion continues to feel good in this sport," says the new president at de Telegraaf.

No news about Michael Masi's future

Mercedes withdrew the appeal, but did make it clear to the FIA that they wanted to see changes after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Many people are also wondering if Masi will remain race director but the new president couldn't say anything about that yet. He could however report that they were going to analyse the race and work on the areas for improvement. "I hope we can make a fresh start in the new year."