Mercedes’ last hope to secure driver championship by appealing Max Verstappen’s win in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was dismissed by FIA on Sunday, according to Anadolu Agency.

“The FIA Stewards have dismissed Mercedes’ protests against the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix final classification,” Formula 1 said on Twitter, ending discussions of a possible different outcome.

Mercedes contested the safety car procedure after the extraordinary final race finished with Red Bull driver Verstappen’s last lap overtake of his championship rival Lewis Hamilton.

On lap 54, Nicholas Latifi from Williams Racing crashed into the barriers, causing a safety car on the last laps of the race.

The first appeal is for Verstappen overtaking under the safety car and the safety car procedure itself, and the other is for why only a certain number of lapped cars were allowed to pass by before the restart.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner described the appeal move as “disappointing,” while Verstappen said it “sums up a little bit this season.”

Overtaking Hamilton on the final lap after the safety car left the circuit, Max became the Formula 1 world champion for the first time and also the first Dutch who raised a world championship trophy.

Hamilton finished second while Carlos Sainz from Ferrari completed the podium.

Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency