Red Bull were very unhappy with an early stewards' call made in the title-deciding race at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. After Lewis Hamilton jumped past Max Verstappen at the start into Turn 1, Verstappen managed to get a run on Hamilton down the back straight on the approach to Turn 4. With Hamilton leaving a gap on the inside, Verstappen made a late braking dive up the inside. This move appeared to be late but fair, with his braking timed well enough to make the apex of the corner. To avoid a collision, Hamilton went straight on and drove over the run-off area, rejoining the track about two seconds up the road from Verstappen. In doing so, he kept the lead ahead of Verstappen, but backed off a little to drop the gap to around 1.5 seconds. "He has to give that back," Verstappen immediately said on the radio to his team but, just two laps later, the FIA stewards confirmed that they felt no investigation was necessary. Red Bull's Sporting Director, Jonathan Wheatley, radioed FIA Race Director Michael Masi to question that call, saying the team felt it was "aggressive" but "fair". Masi then told Red Bull that the stewards felt Hamilton had given back any lasting advantage. When told there was no penalty, Verstappen said on the radio: "That is incredible. What are they doing here?"
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