Originally Posted by
sheppey
For the same reason you should teach a child to still check all clear left and right before crossing a school pedestrian crossing with the Lollipop man. In this case, a precaution against A/T malfunction at low altitude which could cause un-commanded movement? Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAROM_Flight_371
So it takes you around half a second to place your hands back on them, but it also enforces that point that you’re not going to attempt an RTO beyond V1.
Modern Airbus aircraft the thrust levers don’t move anyway, so it brings it back to the point that airmanship is about knowing your aircraft, and having your hands there in a modern Airbus aircraft is pointless.