Mercedes loses both its protests after Hamilton loses title

By JEROME PUGMIRE
AP Auto Racing Writer

Mercedes lost both of its protests after Lewis Hamilton lost the world title to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the last race at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After losing the protests, Mercedes filed for reconsideration to the International Court of Appeal. Verstappen overtook Hamilton on Lap 58 in thrilling style after a crash involving Nicholas Latifi brought out the safety car with just a few laps left. Confusion surrounded the restart. One protest lost was if Verstappen broke rules by passing Hamilton before the safety car period had ended. The other concerned the number of unlapped cars overtaking the safety car before the restart.