Formula 1 2021-2022 Off-Season and Mid-season break threadFormula 1 

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Threaten Talladega Nights GIF
 
So the results of the Abu Dhabi race inquiry will be presented today. As ever social media is at was over their respective favourite drivers. Quite amusing to see #voidlap58 trending.



I have a few takes, they'll restructure race control and race direction and get rid of Masi to appease those who have now spoken out against the handling of it. A public apology and admission of it being handled incorrectly and new rules around contacting race direction from the pits.

My 2nd take on what may happen is more extreme and very unlikely. But it would be all of the above plus voiding the Abu Dhabi GP. Verstappen would remain champion so they wouldn't have to go back there and sort that out, just alter the final standings and move on.

Doubtless the die hard LH fans won't like either of these because LH doesn't become champion either way but that's never going to happen. With only 1 scenario that would have guaranteed Hamilton the championship, it would be even more questionable to do anything that altered the title winner than anything they did with the safety car.
 
And on behalf of most long-time fans, I don't want things to add to the 'entertainment' or the 'drama', I want things that add to the racing or the competition.
On behalf of myself I would want the best competition and racing with integrity and add any entertainment or drama that doesn't detract from the competition.

Murray Walker commentary added nothing to the racing or competition and was pure entertainment - he also made mistakes but none really to the detriment to the sport. ( Ok he might have had a slight brit-centric bias at times that might irk some viewers but it was honest and not deceitful ).

So I don't know what is considered long-time, I have watched almost all races for the last 30 year. I feel that I am still addicted to F1 and so depressed by this - I kind of want to not watch but I don't know if I can stay away.

So the results of the Abu Dhabi race inquiry will be presented today. As ever social media is at was over their respective favourite drivers. Quite amusing to see #voidlap58 trending.



I have a few takes, they'll restructure race control and race direction and get rid of Masi to appease those who have now spoken out against the handling of it. A public apology and admission of it being handled incorrectly and new rules around contacting race direction from the pits.

My 2nd take on what may happen is more extreme and very unlikely. But it would be all of the above plus voiding the Abu Dhabi GP. Verstappen would remain champion so they wouldn't have to go back there and sort that out, just alter the final standings and move on.

Doubtless the die hard LH fans won't like either of these because LH doesn't become champion either way but that's never going to happen. With only 1 scenario that would have guaranteed Hamilton the championship, it would be even more questionable to do anything that altered the title winner than anything they did with the safety car.

I think they should declare a draw and that both drivers are the champions.

Likely they will get rid of Masi, but I've said many times I think the order was phoned in and he is just a scapegoat.

I'm sceptical they can fix the other broken things with the sport. Can they do anything so we have confidence in consistency in stewarding or race direciton going forward?
 
Prost's 1989 title hasn't been voided, and that was even more blatant rigging of a championship than this, which was a succession of bad decisions in the past leading to a heat-of-the-moment overstepping of the "race director's discretion" without a clear way to come to a solution that will piss off less people than it will annoy.

Verstappen is 2021 champion, everyone needs to accept it and move on because it will just cause bad blood we don't need.
 
Verstappen is 2021 champion, everyone needs to accept it and move on because it will just cause bad blood we don't need.
There's still about a billion resolutions they can come up with that don't affect that part of it though.

What will actually happen though is...

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Verstappen is 2021 champion, everyone needs to accept it and move on because it will just cause bad blood we don't need.
There is so much copium under the Twitter hashtag #VoidLap58 that it goes so far the other way that the cringe Hamilton fans, who cry about manipulation, have gone full Tory and are unironically asking for the race to be manipulated in a limited and specific way.
 


So there has been a change to how to award points for shortened races in wake of Belgium, which most significantly splits the distances and gives points on a sliding scale. Also RIP half points, you will be missed.
 
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So there has been a change to how to award points for shortened races in wake of Belgium, which most significantly splits the distances and gives points on a sliding scale. Also RIP half points, you will be missed.

+ .5 to this sentiment.
 
Some reporter needs to ask FIA if they still think it's the fans' fault for not understanding the rules.

F1 may be a lost cause but other Motorsports under FIA will suffer if the organization in charge is comfortable sweeping things under the rug in this way.
 
One step forward (solving the Spa problem), two steps back (expanding the importance of sprint races nearly threefold). Even in the unlikely event of them removing Masi, I still might not even bother with this year.
 
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Grand Prix racing has always had its fair share of shady characters and bald-faced effrontery in challenging the status quo.

Once there was a Grand Prix car called the Charlatan, built, naturally enough, by "the Charlatans". It triumphed on both sides of the Atlantic, and revolutionized GP racing forever.

 
For Williams? Most reports are saying there's a new colour for them in the new livery. I can't see anyone else left it would be suitable for - Alfa Romeo definitely not, Alpine has BWT, Merc won't align themselves with Rich Energy; Aston, Red Bull, Alpha Tauri, Haas, Ferrari and McLaren all have their livery and sponsorship tied up.
It looks like Williams will have black and gold in its livery, but not Rich Energy (thankfully) - and some blue too:

 
Oh my god nothing is sacred


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I start complaining about how crypto outfits are flooding motorsports with untrustworthy sponsorships, and then THIS bad penny turns up again. Though at least his clown act from previous years is well documented and hopefully* nobody's going to think "well, maybe THIS time they can actually honor their committments..."

*and while I'm at it, I'd like a pony in Gulf livery colors too.
 
They've gone from being the victims to being the villains
Agreed.

By this point, I'm just glad he's officially back. Guessing Lewis' mindset, it's time to reset. New season, new car, another opportunity to chase #8.

#Blessed. :P
 
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Come on, declaring a draw would be hilarious because all the Lewis fans and all the max fans would be unhappy so it would be totally fair :P

Prost's 1989 title hasn't been voided, and that was even more blatant rigging of a championship than this, which was a succession of bad decisions in the past leading to a heat-of-the-moment overstepping of the "race director's discretion" without a clear way to come to a solution that will piss off less people than it will annoy.

Verstappen is 2021 champion, everyone needs to accept it and move on because it will just cause bad blood we don't need.
Yep.
On a side note in 1988 Prost scored the most points in the season but was not champion because of some weird rule that only a number of results counted. By models everything counts standards Prost would have been champion by being "better" by collecting more points.

Also by more modern standards Senna would have been disqualified from 1990 results.

While the kudos in some peoples opinions goes to the better driver who didn't get the title... So I sort of rate 88,89,90 in favour or Prost,Senna,Prost


I am actually fine with Max being the champion, I am most bitter about the ill-treatment of RIC and STR by not being released. The steward inconsistency throughout the year, especially the inaction in Brazil and the slowness of decision in Saudi race, is massively concerning.

F1 2022 welcome controversy, drama and dirty driving, I would bet Liberty Media will win again and there will be mega edition for drive in a years time.

They've gone from being the victims to being the villains
yeh, and the F1 punditry feed the toxic culture by publishing articles or tweets about radio messages etc.

Agreed.

By this point, I'm just glad he's officially back. Guessing Lewis' mindset, it's time to reset. New season, new car, another opportunity to chase #8.

#Blessed. :P
I had a dream that we will get a sequence of seasons similar to 2007-through-2010 with 4 new champions in a row. in my opinion that's what the sport needs for a reset... however there's too much invested in win-at-all-costs and greatest or youngest or most sensational of all time etc so I think RBR and Max will be on a run of success...

I want this year title to be a battle between cars numbered 3 4 5 10 14 55 and to also see great performances and results from cars 18 22 31 16 23 and 47.
 
That dummy must be desperate for headlines; thought I read late last year he was trying to attach his name to one of the teams again.
I think he went on the Rich Energy Twitter account around pre season this time last year and said a business associate of his was buying a majority stake in an F1 team and that in 2021 Rich Energy would be a sponsor of that team and then becoming title sponsors from 2022.

Obviously that all proved to be a load of bull excrement and with the pre season hype starting up again now, William Storey is looking to get attention on him and Rich Energy again.

Anything about him and Rich Energy hurts my brain as I thought he was ousted as CEO and then it got renamed after the fallouts of Whyte Bikes and Haas back in 2019, but clearly wasn't the case.
 
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