Hamilton to wait until March for FIA verdict on Abu Dhabi debacle

LEWIS HAMILTON will be made to wait until March 18 — two days before the start of the new season in Bahrain — to hear the result of the investigation into how he lost the world title in Abu Dhabi. As Sportsmail revealed yesterday, the future of the Mercedes driver, who missed out on an eighth championship success last month, will be the leading topic of conversation in a meeting today between Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and the new president of the governing FIA, Muhammed ben Sulayem. Despite this summit, the FIA issued a statement yesterday saying it may take longer to resolve the controversy that centres around Red Bull’s Max Verstappen being allowed to pass Hamilton on fresh tyres on the last lap of the concluding race after a change to the usual safety car procedures. As a result, a disillusioned Hamilton, 37, is considering whether or not to see out the final two years of his Mercedes contract, worth close to £70million. The sport’s commercial rights holders, Liberty Media, want the FIA to act with far more speed — rather than reach a resolution three months and six days after the debacle. The FIA said: ‘Following the decision of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on December 15, 2021, the FIA has started the detailed analysis of the events of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. ‘The FIA president has launched a consultation with the all F1 teams on various issues, including this one.’