'Hamilton plays crucial role in withdrawing Mercedes' protest'

According to the Daily Mail Lewis Hamilton has played a crucial role in Mercedes announcing on Thursday that the protest will be withdrawn. Indeed, Mercedes' lawyer would expect a good final result.

After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix there was a lot of controversy. Max Verstappen had won the GP and with that the world title, but something had gone wrong. Mercedes went to the stewards and took a lawyer with them. That lawyer also advised to protest after the first protests were rejected.

Mercedes has until Thursday evening to present a new protest with evidence, but according to the British media it won't go that far. Hamilton is reported to have told Mercedes, according to the Daily Mail, that he does not want to win an eighth world title on the court. In doing so, the Briton would have played a crucial role in stopping the protest.

Mercedes is now of the opinion that it is better for Formula 1 if they leave it at that, although this is against the advice of their lawyer, Paul Harris, who is convinced that a good case can be made. Mercedes is said to have already informed the FIA, who in turn will launch an investigation in order to avoid this kind of situation in the future.