Mercedes landed a cheeky jab on the FIA after Lewis Hamilton secured a podium finish in the Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton finished second behind Max Verstappen on Sunday, recording the Silver Arrows’ best result of 2023 so far in a chaotic race in Melbourne.
Mercedes looked set for a good day in the opening stages after George Russell launched better than Verstappen and took an early lead.
But after Safety Car, red flag and DNF controversy thwarted Russell, it was Hamilton who recorded a positive result for Toto Wolff and co.
The 38-year-old secured Mercedes’ first podium finish of the season, crossing the line between Verstappen and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
And after the race, Mercedes took to social media to celebrate with their online fans, aiming a subtle dig at the FIA after having a podium spot snatched from their grasp last time out.
Accompanied by a wink face emoji, Mercedes posted a picture of Hamilton’s trophy on Twitter with the caption: “We actually get to keep this one.”
That, of course, is referring to Russell’s 11th-hour heartbreak after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
He snuck onto the podium alongside Sergio Perez and Verstappen after the FIA handed Alonso a 10-second penalty for not properly serving a five-second penalty earlier in the race.
However, a few hours after Aston Martin figures visited the stewards calling for a review, the FIA announced that it had reversed its decision.
A statement read: “Having reviewed the new evidence, we concluded that there was no clear agreement, as was suggested to the Stewards previously, that could be relied upon to determine that parties had agreed that a jack touching a car would amount to working on the car, without more.
“In the circumstances, we considered that our original decision to impose a penalty on Car 14 needed to be reversed, and we did so accordingly.”
It confirmed Alonso’s 100th podium, and after Russell was awarded the third-place trophy, he was made to relinquish it to the Spaniard.
But Mercedes are clearly happy to have kept hold of their silver from Australia and will hope that it will launch further improvement in the Grands Prix to come.
Russell is bound to be eyeing a trophy of his own, especially after his poor fortunes after such a positive start in Melbourne.
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