Mercedes decide against Schumacher appeal

London: Mercedes have decided not to appeal after Michael Schumacher was stripped of sixth place in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix for illegally overtaking Ferrari's Fernando Alonso on the last corner of the race.

Schumacher passed Alonso just after the safety car had left the circuit and was given a drive-through penalty which added 20 seconds to his finishing time, demoting him from sixth to a place out of the points.

"Whilst we cannot be happy with the outcome, we are pleased that the FIA has recognised the reasons for our interpretation (of the law)," a Mercedes statement said, saying the punishment was disproportionately harsh.

"Therefore in the best interests of the sport, Mercedes will not be submitting an appeal.