Sports Mole rounds up all of the latest news regarding Formula 1 on Wednesday, September 16.
Wednesday morning's Formula 1 news roundup:
Mercedes denies 'bringing politics into F1'
© Reuters
Mercedes has denied "bringing politics into Formula 1".
The denial from the dominant championship-winning team comes amid reports the FIA is looking into whether Lewis Hamilton broke the sport's rules about political messaging with a t-shirt he wore at Mugello.
While the six-time world champion has worn a 'Black Lives Matter'-branded t-shirt whilst kneeling prior to races this year, he changed the messaging for Mugello.
Suddenly, Hamilton wore a t-shirt demanding that officials in America "arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor" - a reference to a highly contentious police shooting in March.
An FIA spokesman confirmed that an investigation into Hamilton's wearing of the shirt on the podium and in post-race interviews is under "active consideration".
Mercedes, though, is defending the 35-year-old, who at the next race could equal Michael Schumacher's record tally of 91 grand prix wins.
On Twitter, a user asked Mercedes and Hamilton to "keep politics out of F1 please".
"We're not bringing politics into F1," Mercedes, whose official Twitter also claims to be "racing for diversity and inclusion" in 2020, replied.
"These are human rights issues that we are trying to highlight and raise awareness of. There's a big difference," the team added.
An unnamed F1 team boss doubts Hamilton will be sanctioned for wearing the t-shirt.
"You cannot sanction Lewis for an action that is supported all over the world. I'm sure Mercedes sees it the same way," the boss told Sport1.
F1 steward Salo says Bottas 'did nothing wrong'
© Reuters
Mugello steward Mika Salo insists that Valtteri Bottas "did nothing wrong" before the midfield race re-start pileup last Sunday.
Some of the drivers caught up in the scary incident pointed the finger at the very front of the field, where a weaving leader Bottas left his charge notably late after the safety car went into the pits.
Ultimately, the FIA officials reprimanded no few than 12 drivers - but not Bottas.
"It took a long time," Salo said of the stewards' investigation.
"We had to go through the data of everyone in the crash, to see who got on the gas and who didn't," the former F1 driver told Ilta Sanomat newspaper.
"When we looked at the data, we saw that Valtteri did nothing wrong. He was steady on the throttle and did not brake. It was the same for Lewis Hamilton.
"It was behind them that the accelerating and braking took place, and the rules state that this must not happen behind the safety car."
When asked if the FIA thought about singling out a worst-offender for a harsher penalty, Salo answered: "No, no one was punished, but they were all guilty. Apart from the first two."
Salo said the investigations took so long to carry out that he could not attend a party to mark the 1000th race for Ferrari, for whom the Finn raced briefly in 1999.
"We went so damn late that I didn't have time, but apparently it was great. I saw the pictures," he laughed.
More news from Formula 1:
Todt hopes Volkswagen boss serious about F1
Jean Todt says he hopes Volkswagen is contemplating a move into Formula 1. Read more.
F1 unlikely to return to Mugello
Formula 1 appears unlikely to return to Mugello next year, despite the success of last weekend's race at the Ferrari-owned circuit. Read more.
Red Bull must give Verstappen 'competitive engine'
Red Bull must supply Max Verstappen with "a competitive engine" in order to keep him at the team beyond 2021. Read more.
Nurburgring hopes for Friday run for Schumacher
The boss of the Nurburgring hopes the rumours are true that Mick Schumacher will get a Friday practice outing at the German circuit next month. Read more.
Lewis Hamilton avoids FIA punishment over Breonna Taylor T-shirt
Ahead of Sunday's race, Lewis Hamilton took a knee wearing a black T-Shirt with the message 'Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor'. Read more.
Vettel denies fatigue behind F1 incidents
Sebastian Vettel has denied that driver fatigue could be behind a spate of recent incidents in Formula 1. Read more.
2021 can be 'much better' for Ferrari - Sainz
Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri hopes "flexibility" in the F1 rules helps the famous Maranello team pull itself out of its "hole". Read more.
No FIA penalty for Hamilton over political t-shirt
The FIA has backed away from issuing a potential penalty to Lewis Hamilton over his wearing of a politically-themed t-shirt on the Mugello podium. Read more.
F2 title no guarantee of F1 seat - Schumacher
Mick Schumacher is not getting carried away with speculation that he is looking likely to follow his famous father into Formula 1. Read more.
