Mercedes would be ready to sanction Hamilton

Following the victory of Lewis Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the title of Nico Rosberg, the British press reported the risks of sanctions that would be considered Mercedes against the three-time world champion.

The star manufacturer would consider harshly sanctioning Lewis Hamilton for deliberately slowing his pace at the end of the race so that Nico Rosberg found himself threatened by the drivers chasing the W07 Hybrids.

The report produced by Sky Sports cites in particular the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star which are considering a suspension of several races, or even a premature termination of contract. The Guardian and The Telegraph also mention a possible suspension or fine.

If the Briton's strategy did not work, it put a lot of pressure in the pits, to the point of forcing technical executive director Paddy Lowe to take the radio himself to ask the race leader to increase his allure. The 2015 world champion chose not to respect team instructions.

Toto wolff however admitted that Lewis Hamilton's tactics had been considered by Mercedes. Regarding sanctions, the Austrian replied that “anything was possible”, but the Sky Sports report specifies that a fine would be much more likely than a suspension if the German brand decided to punish its driver.

Discover the analysis of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in AUTO issue 2091hebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.