‘This has been manipulated, man’: Hamilton’s words on team radio

The appeal is likely to relate to the way in which the Safety Car rules were applied by Masi at the end of the race following a crash by Williams’ driver Nicholas Latifi.

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team is expected to appeal after two protests it made against Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix were rejected by the stewards.

The man in Mercedes’ sights is race director Michael Masi and his controversial decision to withdraw the Safety Car for the final lap.