Mercedes Withdraws Appeal of Formula 1 Season Finale

Mercedes Withdraws Appeal of Formula 1 Season Finale
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain in leads Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands at the start of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 12, 2021. Hassan Ammar/AP Photo
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES—Mercedes ended the dispute over the Formula One season finale on Thursday when it withdrew its appeal of the controversial finish that cost Lewis Hamilton a record eighth championship.

Mercedes had filed a pair of protests following Sunday’s race, in which a late crash at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helped Max Verstappen beat Hamilton for the title. Both protests were dismissed and Mercedes then asked for reconsideration at the International Court of Appeal, a process that could have dragged into next year.