Mercedes F1 team withdraws Abu Dhabi GP appeal

In a short statement issued on Thursday, the team said it welcomed a move by the FIA to investigate the events from last weekend so no longer felt it needed to push on with its action.

Mercedes had been left angry about the way in which F1 race director Michael Masi had selectively chosen some backmarkers be allowed to unlap themselves and had rushed the safety car restart.

The team claimed that, had Masi followed the rules explicitly, then the race would have finished under…