Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and driver Lewis Hamilton will not be attending Thursday’s FIA Prize Giving Gala in Paris.
The event which is held after the end of every Formula 1 season requires the top three drivers in the championship to attend. This means championship winner Max Verstappen, first runner up Lewis Hamilton and second runner up Valtteri Bottas have to make an appearance for the event.
However, Hamilton and his boss Toto Wolff confirmed they will not be attending the event despite Mercedes taking its eighth consecutive Constructors Championship title.
According to article 6.6 of the Sporting Regulations Act, drivers finishing first, second and third in the Championship must be present at the annual FIA Prize Giving ceremony. This means that Hamilton will be in breach of the rule but it is not yet clear if the seven-time world champion will face any disciplinary action for missing the event.
The Mercedes Formula one and Formula E team also missed the Tuesday photoshoot pre-Gala event. The Formula E team took both the drivers and constructors championship this year.
This comes after Lewis Hamilton was denied the championship title by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen following a controversial last lap safety car. The Race Director’s instructions that allowed the lapped cars to overtake the Safety Car received a lot of criticism because initially the directives did not allow for such to happen.
Verstappen had the upper hand after the Race Control instructions and went ahead to overtake Lewis Hamilton on the last lap winning the race and claiming the Drivers Championship title. After the race Mercedes protested the controversial move but was dismissed by the Race Stewards. The team recently announced they have no further intentions appealing the matter.
This now means Verstappen can now receive the championship trophy this evening in the Gala event.
