Mercedes won't appeal Hamilton's qualifying exclusion

Mercedes has announced that it will not appeal the FIA Stewards' decision to exclude Lewis Hamilton from Friday's Sao Paulo GP qualifying session.

The Stewards at Interlagos rules on Saturday that Mercedes' rear wing and DRS element were in breach of Formula 1's technical regulations.

It was determined that the gap between the two rear wing lower and upper planes exceeded the authorized maximum 85mm clearance when DRS was open.

Hamilton was subsequently excluded from yesterday's qualifying results, which means that the Briton will line up last on today's Sprint race grid.

It puts the title contender on the back foot against fellow championship contender max Verstappen who will start todays 24-lap race from pole.

• Read also: Hamilton excluded from Sao Paulo GP qualifying over DRS infringement!

Despite the high stakes, in a post on Twitter, Mercedes said that it would not appeal the Stewards' ruling.

The Brackley squad was entitled to appeal the decision, which would have protected Hamilton's P1 position on the grid.

But the move would have also potentially put in jeopardy Saturday and Sunday's results.

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