A late safety car was deployed wh🍌en Nicholas Latifi cr👍ashed his Williams, setting up a dramatic and contentious ending to the final round of the 2021 season.

While Mercedes opted🎀 to favour track position by keeping Hamilton out on old tyres, Red Bull gamble🐬d by pitting Verstappen for a new set of softs. 

FIA race director Michael Masi h🍌ad initially ruled that five drivers were not allowed to unlap themselves, before reversing the decision to set-up a last-lap sprint to decide the title. 

It meant Verstappen restarted directly behind H🀅amilton. The Red Bull driver then pulled off a brilliant lunge to take the lead from Hamilton at Turn 5, sealing both the win and his maiden world title. 

But Mercedes has protested the result on the groun♔ds that safety car protocols were not followed because not all lapped drivers w🍰ere allowed to unlap themselves, citing a breach of Article 48.12. 

Mercedes haღs lodged a second protest against Verstappen over an alleged overtake on Hamilton before the safety car line on the restart.