Verstappen keeps F1 title as second Mercedes protest thrown out

Max Verstappen's 2021 title victory is secure, after stewards at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ruled against Mercedes' second protest.

Mercedes' protests focused on two separate articles of the FIA's Sporting Regulations, with one protest against Verstappen specifically and the other against the classification of the race.

The first protest ruling, specifically against Verstappen, was thrown out, but the second protest, related to unlapped cars and the procedures under the Safety Car, had longer deliberations.

Those deliberations have now ended, with the stewards rejecting the protest from Mercedes. This has confirmed Verstappen as the World Champion for 2021.

Mercedes will have the right to appeal this stewards' decision.