Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has been confirmed as the 2021 Formula 1 world champion after Mercedes withdrew their appeal over Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Verstappen secured the victory that he required in the Middle-East after race director Michael Masi controversially allowed one more lap of racing following the use of the safety car.
Several lapped cars were cleared out of the way to allow Verstappen, on fresh tyres, to overtake Lewis Hamilton, edging the Briton into second spot in the race and standings respectively.
Mercedes had two protests rejected in the hours after the race, but they had the right to appeal before Thursday's official trophy ceremony.
However, in light of the FIA accepting that what occurred in Abu Dhabi did not benefit the sport and left several potential occurrences in the future open to interpretation, Mercedes have ended their effort to overturn the result.
In a lengthy statement on Twitter, Mercedes said that they "appealled in the interest of sporting fairness", but had been left satisfied by "constructive dialogue" which should help "create clarity for the future".
Mercedes added that they send their congratulations to Verstappen, saying that they have "sincere respect" for his achievements this season.
Darren Plant
