Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021Formula 1

[ICEYOU3]

Still not sure why Lewis didn’t block the inside on turn 5. He knew Max was gonna go there…

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[PaMu1337]

Still not sure why Lewis didn’t block the inside on turn 5. He knew Max was gonna go there…

I think he knew Max was coming by anyway. By doing it at T5, he had the straight to possibly be able to strike back, which he nearly managed

 

[Destroy321]

Still not sure why Lewis didn’t block the inside on turn 5. He knew Max was gonna go there…

This is because if enter Turn 5 from the inside, the acceleration toward the long straight after that will be worse. A simple reason.

 

[McLaren]

It's still a bit of a lottery - look at Leclerc at Ferrari. One of the best drivers with one of historically the best teams (even as recently as 2018) but no championship in sight due to lack of development.

In 2019, Charles was as competitive as Max & Lewis with the car & Ferrari finished 2nd in WCC. Then car was dog poo in 2020, likely in part because of the controversy from 2019 & the car got slower. The SF21 has performed much better surprisingly, now back in P3 in WCC b/c RBR & Merc. on another level still.

I don't think your argument holds much weight given the weakness is really only 1 year due to cheating allegations & 2 years of decent success given more powerful teams, and Ferrari seemingly looking ahead past the SF21.

 

[andrea]

 

[pumaATTACK]

This is because if enter Turn 5 from the inside, the acceleration toward the long straight after that will be worse. A simple reason.

Yeah but he was never gonna catch Max once Max got by. He needed to defend hard the whole lap.

 

[PorscheFan91]

Engineers, both mechanical and aerodynamic, are worthy of just about as much praise as the drivers in the fastest branch of the autosport.

Agreed! But this discussion is predominantly about the drivers rather than the constructors. It's what makes trying to decide who the most talented driver is a bit of a challenge. I do think it's swings and roundabouts though - I love Indycar for the racing but the F1 cars are inherently more exciting because of the development involved.

In 2019, Charles was as competitive as Max & Lewis with the car & Ferrari finished 2nd in WCC. Then car was dog poo in 2020, likely in part because of the controversy from 2019 & the car got slower. The SF21 has performed much better surprisingly, now back in P3 in WCC b/c RBR & Merc. on another level still.

I don't think your argument holds much weight given the weakness is really only 1 year due to cheating allegations & 2 years of decent success given more powerful teams, and Ferrari seemingly looking ahead past the SF21.

I'd still argue that there is an element of luck in it though for the driver. One team is always going to have the fastest car but the driver doesn't really know which. For all we know in 2022 the Mercedes will be much slower than a dominant Ferrari. If it had been Ferrari rather than RB that had improved this year we may be debating a Leclerc/Hamilton finale. Similarly, I'd imagine Russell is extremely happy with his choice to go to Mercedes given their dominance but if for whatever reason they're not top dog next year then he'll have been unlucky. Ultimately, if we have championships as close as this it doesn't really matter.


__________________

Changing topic completely - what if they did away with the ability to change tyres under SCs and red flags thereby eliminating a big element of luck? Would people feel that would be fairer and make for closer racing?

 

[andrea]

 

[Jimlaad43]

Looks like this thread has smashed the record for longest single Grand Prix thread

 

[Demon Drone]

Looks like this thread has smashed the record for longest single Grand Prix thread

And not for good reasons.

 

[Liquid]

Looks like this thread has smashed the record for longest single Grand Prix thread

And with reason. This race is going to be talked about for years and decades to come. It is immediately as significant as Japan 1989-90, Australia 1994, Spain 1997 and Brazil 2008 in the all-time most impactful title deciders.

 

[Dennisch]

hmm. that doesn't work.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Looks like this thread has smashed the record for longest single Grand Prix thread

Got a ways to go

 

[Dotini]

A few months or years from now, when emotions have cooled, the bare facts will remain. At the end of the race, the man on new softs beat the man on old hards. A lion lunched on a sitting duck.

 

[Liquid]

Got a ways to go

View attachment 1099145

Keep posting partisan "opinions" and we'll smash 2,000 posts before sunrise.

MaX wIlL cRaSh InTo HaMiLtOn.
HaHa LeWiS' lUcK fInAlLy rUn OuT.
LaTiFi iS a DoUbLe AgEnT.
FrAuDiLtOn AiN't So BlEsSeD aNy MoRe.

Despite a few musings before, I still haven't digested this race. It's going to take some time.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Yeah but he was never gonna catch Max once Max got by. He needed to defend hard the whole lap.

The low downforce setup was important as otherwise I think Lewis would normally had the chance to get back. He also had option of turning in and Max would have got a penalty for causing a collision as he was far away from the apex but then would be relying on stewards deducting points for that lunge for the race lead if he couldn't continue and finish ahead of Max. Lewis avoiding that accident gave Max a bit more breathing space on the straights.

At least the stewards have deemed 48.12 has not been applied fully so may allow for appropriate action to be taken. I think last race Mercedes messed up by not appealing that brake test decision as stewards deemed Max drove erratically but avoided giving him the correct penalty which was a clear breach of article 27.4 which would have led to a more severe penalty. Instead they go for a minor safety car overtake, facepalm.

 

[PorscheFan91]

At least the stewards have deemed 48.12 has not been applied fully so may allow for appropriate action to be taken. I think last race Mercedes messed up by not appealing that brake test decision as stewards deemed Max drove erratically but avoided giving him the correct penalty which was a clear breach of article 27.4 which would have led to a more severe penalty. Instead they go for a minor safety car overtake, facepalm.

I agree with the theory that it was done to put them on equal points and ensure a big showdown and all the PR that it entails. Indeed, I was amazed to see the F1 as a leading article on a news programme over here (UK) which never happens. It also means more viewers next year potentially. Personally, I think once everything has cooled down, the drama last week will probably be the biggest talking point of the season.

 

[Dennisch]

Keep posting partisan "opinions" and we'll smash 2,000 posts before sunrise.

MaX wIlL cRaSh InTo HaMiLtOn.
HaHa LeWiS' lUcK fInAlLy rUn OuT.
LaTiFi iS a DoUbLe AgEnT.
FrAuDiLtOn AiN't So BlEsSeD aNy MoRe.

Despite a few musings before, I still haven't digested this race. It's going to take some time.

iT wAs ThE sPiRiT oF sChUmAcHeR

 

[Rage Racer]

Congratulations to Max, that was an amazing race.

Anyway:

 

[O604]

A few months or years from now, when emotions have cooled, the bare facts will remain. At the end of the race, the man on new softs beat the man on old hards. A lion lunched on a sitting duck.

Or they'll wonder, why did I bother watching the whole race when I could just watch the end?

 

[OutlawQuadrnt]

Or they'll wonder, why did I bother watching the whole race when I could just watch the end?

That sounds oddly familar to another racing series I know...

 

[Dotini]

Or they'll wonder, why did I bother watching the whole race when I could just watch the end?

So that you'll know and remember the race was more exciting, dramatic and closer than the bare facts chiseled into the stone of history. The Mercedes strategy turned out to be vulnerable. And that it was viciously ironic that a Mercedes car speared the wall and brought out the safety car.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Or they'll wonder, why did I bother watching the whole race when I could just watch the end?

The whole championship basically came down to a safety car incident and the restart procedures, which were decided on the spot.

I looked at the 48.12 stewards' conclusion and it doesn't look that strong. I'm just wondering the likelihood of anything happening [anything that may affect the race result].

Have there ever been any motorsports championships decided on appeal?

 

[Northstar]

So that you'll know and remember the race was more exciting, dramatic and closer than the bare facts chiseled into the stone of history.

It really wasn't that close though, Hamilton had a massive gap when the SC came out and Verstappen wasn't gaining enough to catch him. About the only real interesting parts prior to the safety car were Hamilton vs. Perez and seeing just how much Bottas had already checked out.

The Mercedes strategy turned out to be vulnerable.

It was only vulnerable because race control forgot that rules were a thing.

 

[kilesa4568]

As someone who loves hard but fair racing, the sort you can laugh and shake hands about after, the way Max drove on his way to this title makes it impossible for me to congratulate him. I'm sure it made great entertainment for the blood thirsty masses but for this old school fan of racing, it made for ugly viewing. I've gone from being a fan to someone who thinks he's a menace.

Fingers crossed he learns how to go wheel to wheel instead of getting desperate with block passing all the time. That crap gets annoying real quick...

 

[Liquid]

The Mercedes strategy turned out to be vulnerable.

I wouldn't say vulnerable. That implies it was a conscious but misguided decision. Mercedes' strategy was forced upon them; it was one of those rare occasions where being in first place was actually disadvantageous. Due to the timing of the virtual and actual safety cars, they simply weren't in a position where they could have pitted Hamilton and have him retain track position. Red Bull had that good fortune on the day.

 

[Famine]

I looked at the 48.12 stewards' conclusion and it doesn't look that strong.

I mean, "any" doesn't mean "all", sure, we can work with that even though it's a bit of a new way of looking at it... but what does "last" mean?

 

[girabyt3]

TFW your American counterpart (In terms of race management and kind of championship format decisions) congratulates you... Yet you didn't congratulate his champion... Honestly, this is the equivalent of a Latin American politician congratulating another one from another country with the same ideology

 

[Liquid]

Have there ever been any motorsports championships decided on appeal?

There's a bit of backstory to it which I'll skip but the 1983 BTCC was decided on a protest by BMW which saw the winning Rovers retroactively disqualified from the entire championship. Funnily enough, due to the multi-class system at the time it didn't even lead to BMW winning the championship, Alfa Romeo in Class B did.

The disqualification was confirmed six months after the championship had finished.

 

[Grayfox]

Lewis also radioed that the SC wasn’t going the proper speed. Not sure if there’s any data on that but could have extended the window the get one last lap in.

But Lewis does have a history of saying this.
Maybe Lewis should be the next SC Driver?

Nah max was handed the title by the safety car

Like wise the opposite can be said

Lewis got extremely lucky at Silverstone

Had Lewis made that boneheaded move, Max would've had minimum 1pt for finishing 10th to 18pts more for finishing 2nd, and would've been WC
Like wise in Hungry as well.

Last name to be added to those book as the engines won't be Honda next year