Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021Formula 1

[OutlawQuadrnt]

Then what do you want? Option A is wrong, Option B would be correct but feels to be wrong. Can't have something both ways.

View attachment 1099288

Option C which I have already advocated here. The FIA was in error on how the safety car procedures were applied but the regulations as written does not provide a remedy for that specific situation.

Unfortunately, this is not the position the FIA is taking. In fact, they are all but saying they can arbitrarily decide which regulations they want to enforce with linguistic chicanery and this is a dangerous line of thinking that not only sullies this championship but will place every single decision the FIA makes going forward under a dark cloud of suspicion and doubt.

That simply cannot be allowed to happen.

 

[Dennisch]

grrr... all region locked.

Only the commentary.

Maybe this one works for you, with added dramatical music.

Max Verstappen meets Hans Zimmer

Het moest ff. Die mega apotheose met muziek van Hans Zimmer (Lost But Won uit Rush).

www.dumpert.nl

 

[OJBrit]

Nobody wanted to see finish behind safety car. So Race Director decided and it looks like he have the right to do so.

Stewards dismiss Mercedes’ Abu Dhabi Grand Prix protests, as team lodge intention to appeal | Formula 1®

The FIA has dismissed Mercedes protest over events at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen crowned drivers' champion for the first time after a late Safety Car was called.

www.formula1.com

"A document released by the FIA on Sunday night read: "Article 15.3 allows the Race Director to control the use of the safety car, which in our determination includes its deployment and withdrawal.


"Although Article 48.12 may not have been applied fully, in relation to the safety car returning to the pits at the end of the following lap, Article 48.13 overrides that and once the message 'Safety Car in this lap' has been displayed, it is mandatory to withdraw the safety car at the end of that lap.

"That notwithstanding Mercedes’ request that the Stewards remediate the matter by amending the classification to reflect the positions at the end of the penultimate lap, this is a step that the Stewards believe is effectively shortening the race retrospectively, and hence not appropriate.

"Accordingly, the Protest is dismissed.""

Allowing one person who is supposed to follow the ruleset carte blanche is not good for any sport and indeed should not be even thought off. And where found usually the results of such actions are voided. If you were to allow the race director to have control outside of the rules then how can you trust him to direct the race properly?

I just see the Jeddah one slightly differently, Hamilton has a lot of time to pass Verstappen and doesn't, he's off the racing line and Hamilton follows him, yes the penalty was deserved but question marks over why Hamilton didn't just pass him.

I have to confess I don't remember Magnussens and I can't find any reference footage. I can't see it being anything more then alongside but the angles they've shown aren't very good.

The stewards noted why Hamilton didn't go for it straight away and Brundle nails it in his column for that week. They found Lewis' reasons to be fine, and by which did not excuse Max from deliberately brake testing Lewis which should have been a Black flag at the very least.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Can we not? You're saying in a 2 way title fight we can't compare the drivers seasons to decide for ourselves who we think is deserving or worthy? The inference for the other drivers is simply that they weren't in the title fight at the final round..thereby their statistics aren't relevant to this discussion. Statistically, Max Verstappen is the most deserving of the 2 for the championship.

Any driver that gets to the final round with a shot at the title has earned it if they win, unless cheating, Max on the other hand was outdone by Hamilton for 99% of this race. Callling him more deserving is way beyond believe. He won only because the FIA, somehow, decided to invent new regs - on the fly.

 

[Roo]

It will take me some time to not get a bit emotional seeing something like that.

Same.

Different emotion, though.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Reading between the lines there’s more than a few hints of Hamilton walking away from F1. Some of his post race comments and he’s allegedly asked Toto and Mercedes to withdraw the appeals.

Let’s see what the coming days bring.

 

[GingerBredMan]

Max’s form for the last 4 races wasn’t exactly inspiring, and that’s what made this result that much harder to swallow.

 

[pumaATTACK]

I mean, of all the things that might have helped Verstappen to the title, this is the most not that.


He's faced a single sanction for crowding a car off the road this season, after doing it eight times in total, and that wasn't actually what he got the penalty for (he got the penalties in that race for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage, and for causing a collision). There were only 12 instances of cars being crowded off the road this season, and all of the other four got penalties - including Hamilton doing it to him at Silverstone, for which he got 10s (five for all the others) even though the FIA and teams insist that penalties are applied to the action not the consequence. Though it was an ultimately meaningless penalty given the performance in the Mercedes compared to everything else.

In the last seven seasons there have been ten occasions where a car has overtaken another during a safety car period. Nine of those were punished with 5-10s penalties and most with two penalty points, including one where Magnussen briefly overtook Vandoorne and ceded the place back again (5s, two penalty points). I will leave you to guess what the tenth one was.

I can't even conjure up a moment equivalent to the brake check madness, but a mere 10s penalty doesn't seem appropriate. The only two I can think even come close were Maldonado (also on Hamilton) in qualifying at Monaco, which got him a five-place grid drop, and when Schumacher half-tried to take out Villeneuve in a title-decider in 1997 and crippled his own car. That got him disqualified from the entire season, and I'm having a hard time coming up with ways that a 2.4G deceleration in the middle of a straight in a potential title-decider is less bad than that.

And we're not even getting into the rear wing shenanigans, where Red Bull can apparently change theirs every session or so without consequence, but the Mercedes item fails an inspection on one occasion (the FIA saying it was not a deliberate act, either bad fitment or damage) in a performance-detrimental manner, and is confiscated and the driver is disqualified.


IF rules were equally applied, Verstappen would have missed about three races this year through licence point totting-up bans and disqualification. But as we saw on Sunday, if a rule exists to cover a situation, Michael Masi can ignore it. It's like the Rule 34 of motorsport.

Jeez reading your posts makes it so much more infuriating. And then you throw in the whole "We never get any breaks, the rulings are always against us" whining from Red Bull and its insufferable.

 

[pumaATTACK]

Interesting thing about Spa, regardless of classification, is if it didn't count, and I agree, it absolutely should not have counted, it wouldn't have altered the championship outcome in any way. Even in race wins he would have had 1 extra anyway and the points difference was inconsequential. Biggest loser would have been Russel and Williams.

lol. no. If Max was not tied with Lewis then Max couldn't have crashed and taken them both out and won still. Lewis had to drive to avoid Max over and over again.

 

[pumaATTACK]

Reading between the lines there’s more than a few hints of Hamilton walking away from F1. Some of his post race comments and he’s allegedly asked Toto and Mercedes to withdraw the appeals.

Let’s see what the coming days bring.

I wouldn't be shocked to see him walk away. Would be a major shame since he deserves that 8th WDC, whether next year or not.

 

[O604]

Reading between the lines there’s more than a few hints of Hamilton walking away from F1. Some of his post race comments and he’s allegedly asked Toto and Mercedes to withdraw the appeals.

Let’s see what the coming days bring.

Not a popular opinion, But I hope he does walk away. F1 doesn't deserve him. I'm not a Hamilton super-fan. I just dislike politics in sports/stopped watching F1 long ago.

I wish he would become the new face of Netflix Drive to Survive. And tell the world what's really happening behind the scenes. That would be positive change.

PS- I don't believe he will. He's come this far. Just my wish to stick it to F1.

 

[Famine]

Jeez reading your posts makes it so much more infuriating.

I get that a lot.

 

[noshog]

I have stayed away from this thread for a couple days ... Come back to 47 pages !!

Well I guess this was a fitting end to the season in a way, questionable decisions from all parties all the way through the year, why should we end it any differently 🙂.

As much as I'm baffled with what played out at the end of the race... I actually think it was Mercedes themselves that cost Hamilton a chance at winning, they had a car that was fast enough to overtake on track but were too scared to give up track position ? They had like 3 chances to bring in Hamilton to give him fresh tyres, I really don't understand why they were too scared ? If I was Hamilton I would be more pissed at my team than anyone else. I dont think Hamilton lost the championship, I think his team lost it for him !

I do think Masi needs to step down or something though, far too many inconsistencies through the year, and honestly that last call does kinda appear that he could pick and choose who he wanted to win the championship.

It was an epic year, fully enjoyed the season despite the politics etc etc ... Fully looking forward to new cars and a new season now !!

 

[McLaren]

If Lewis walks away, better hope everyone else nails the cars. Russell isn't enough to fight Max & Checo, and we could potentially be right back to people whining about people running away with championships with the shoe on the other foot once more.

 

[Rossell2]

I don't believe he will. I think he's going to run through 22/23 then walk away.

 

[Terronium-12]

If Lewis walks away, better hope everyone else nails the cars. Russell isn't enough to fight Max & Checo, and we could potentially be right back to people whining about people running away with championships with the shoe on the other foot once more.

Basically what @Rossell2 said. I don't think he'll leave before getting a taste of the new regs next season.

Whether said regulations are enforced as written is another matter however....

 

[OutlawQuadrnt]

Reading between the lines there’s more than a few hints of Hamilton walking away from F1. Some of his post race comments and he’s allegedly asked Toto and Mercedes to withdraw the appeals.

Let’s see what the coming days bring.

It would be even more of a debacle if this entire controversy is what makes him decide to call it a career. I would be curious, though, whether he will try to leave as gracefully as possible or be candid. The former is likely but who really knows.

 

[McLaren]

Basically what @Rossell2 said. I don't think he'll leave before getting a taste of the new regs next season.

Whether said regulations are enforced as written is another matter however....

I don't think he will, either. The contract is only 5 months old or so & he committed to 2 years in the new era. If anything, hopefully he knows how big his presence will be to Russell.

 

[PeterJB]

If gonna humour silly season and say that if he does then Ocon moves up to Mercedes and Oscar Piastri takes his seat at Alpine.

 

[andrea]

It will take me some time to not get a bit emotional seeing something like that.

Enjoy it to the max.

 

[noshog]

If gonna humour silly season and say that if he does then Ocon moves up to Mercedes and Oscar Piastri takes his seat at Alpine.

Well to be honest it is a bit criminal that Oscar Piastri cant move straight into F1 after winning back 2 back feeder series ! (but this is a debate for another thread)

 

[Dennisch]

Enjoy it to the max.

 

[MagpieRacer]

I don't think he will, either. The contract is only 5 months old or so & he committed to 2 years in the new era. If anything, hopefully he knows how big his presence will be to Russell.

Rosberg signed a 2 year extension at the halfway point of 2016 before walking away from it less than 5 months later. Not unprecedented even within Mercedes.

If gonna humour silly season and say that if he does then Ocon moves up to Mercedes and Oscar Piastri takes his seat at Alpine.

Exactly what I see happening. I believe Wolff is still Ocons manager, he’s smart, there’ll be a Mercedes clause in there somewhere.

 

[Terronium-12]

Rosberg signed a 2 year extension at the halfway point of 2016 before walking away from it less than 5 months later. Not unprecedented even within Mercedes.

Exactly what I see happening. I believe Wolff is still Ocons manager, he’s smart, there’ll be a Mercedes clause in there somewhere.

Very true but Rosberg won at the end of the year, and could not commit to the same level of focus and determination for another year, let alone two.

He got what he wanted and promptly exited to be with his family.

 

[McLaren]

Rosberg signed a 2 year extension at the halfway point of 2016 before walking away from it less than 5 months later. Not unprecedented even within Mercedes.

Rosberg also won his first championship & that was all that mattered to him.

 

[Famine]

F1 tweeting out a video of literally every driver outside of the Red Bull tosspotarchy going to Hamilton and saying how much Red Bull **** that was:



Either their press officers and social media bods are clueless, or they're extremely not...

 

[GingerBredMan]

If Lewis retires Merc should pull a Power move and try to get Gasly. It seems like that seat is Ocon’s to lose though.

 

[pumaATTACK]

Lewis was unbelievably classy in that last lap. No dirty defending. No hero lunges. Didn’t complain after the race. It’s almost like in that moment he was ok with leaving F1 and saying FU to the decision makers.

 

[McLaren]

F1 tweeting out a video of literally every driver outside of the Red Bull tosspotarchy going to Hamilton and saying how much Red Bull **** that was:



Either their press officers and social media bods are clueless, or they're extremely not...

"When I see Max with other drivers, I think they get on very well. But with Lewis, nothing. Lewis is in his own world." - 7 days ago.

Suck it, Jos.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Lewis has been brilliant in public since the whole thing happened, very graceful and sportsman-like, and his dad too when he congratulated Jos and Max.

Away from the public eye though I cant imagine what Lewis must be feeling.