The FIA stewards have taken no further action after investigating the lap one clash between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton during the Spanish Grand Prix.
The two Mercedes drivers were battling for the lead on the run to Turn 4 when Hamilton went onto the grass, lost control of his car and spun.
Facing the wrong way, Hamilton’s car returned to the track and collected Rosberg, with both drivers ending up in the gravel trap and retiring.
The stewards chose to investigate the collision after the race, with Rosberg and Hamilton being summoned to share their sides of the story.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said Rosberg was in the wrong engine setting exiting Turn 3, which enabled Hamilton to close up quickly.
The FIA verdict read:
“The incident concerned started when Car 6 dropped into an incorrect power mode, as set by the driver prior to the start. This created a significant power differential between Car 6 and Car 44 at the exit of Turn 3 coming onto the straight, resulting in as much as a 17kph speed difference between the two cars on the straight. Car 6 moved to the right to defend his position, as is his right under Art 27.7 of the Sporting regulations.
“Simultaneously Car 44 as the significantly faster car with, at that time, apparent space on the inside, moved to make the pass. Art 27.7 requires the leading driver to leave room, if there is a “significant portion” of the car attempting to pass alongside. Car 44 had a portion of his front wing inside Car 6 small fractions of a second prior to Car 44 having to leave the right side of the track to avoid an initial collision, which may have led him to believe he had the right to space on the right. Once on the grass on the side of the track Car 44 was no longer in control of the situation.
“Having heard extensively from both drivers and from the team, the Stewards determined that Car 6 had the right to make the manoeuvre that he did and that Car 44’s attempt to overtake was reasonable, and that the convergence of events led neither driver to be wholly or predominantly at fault, and therefore take no further action.”
