Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio De São Paulo 2021Formula 1
- Thread starter Jimlaad43
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Wow missed that controversy with the DRS/rear wing flap yesterday. An d did Max actually touch that Mercedes wing during Parc Fermé? Only saw a vague far distance clip on social media. Or did I miss more clear evidence?
Rules are rules: no cheating with gaps and no touching of parts during Parc Fermé. But hopefully this will be settled accordingly and have them battle on track.
Rules are rules: no cheating with gaps and no touching of parts during Parc Fermé. But hopefully this will be settled accordingly and have them battle on track.
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How prescient
It's a pity that Verstappen has given Mercedes all the excuse it needs now. They've been using this rear wing without issue across the season, and now it fails an inspection for the first time after Verstappen has touched it in Parc Ferme?
Mercedes has a massive a GOOJF card here - and worse, it could swing the title back in Hamilton's favour. Mercedes literally doesn't need to defend itself any more than "look at all the inspections it's passed this season, it was fine until he touched it", and Verstappen is clearly in breach of the regulation cited because he did touch the car.
I can easily see this being a DSQ for Verstappen (well, from qualifying, so back of the grid for the sprint) and no penalty for Hamilton ahead of the sprint race, and who knows how that'll translate for the feature race?
Of course F1 Twitter is flapping on about how you can't break a rear wing by hand, but it's about DRS actuation limits and Verstappen's hand is right where the actuator is...
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Hopefully Super Max (Man of Feel) has saved Mercedes title chances. Inappropriate touching of W12's rear should be dealt with accordingly!
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I just woke up and have been catching up on these DRS Shenanigans. If Max really did touch the actuator, than this may very well be one of the most bone-headed things I've ever seen in F1. 
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And Mercedes team and Lewis again to the stewards. (2:30PM CET).
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How prescient
It's a pity that Verstappen has given Mercedes all the excuse it needs now. They've been using this rear wing without issue across the season, and now it fails an inspection for the first time after Verstappen has touched it in Parc Ferme?
Mercedes has a massive a GOOJF card here - and worse, it could swing the title back in Hamilton's favour. Mercedes literally doesn't need to defend itself any more than "look at all the inspections it's passed this season, it was fine until he touched it", and Verstappen is clearly in breach of the regulation cited because he did touch the car.
I can easily see this being a DSQ for Verstappen (well, from qualifying, so back of the grid for the sprint) and no penalty for Hamilton ahead of the sprint race, and who knows how that'll translate for the feature race?
Of course F1 Twitter is flapping on about how you can't break a rear wing by hand, but it's about DRS actuation limits and Verstappen's hand is right where the actuator is...
New angle of his inspection. It's just a small prod with his thumb. There's not a chance in hell he's somehow stretched or damaged the actuator.
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Same one I saw yesterday.
There'd not be a chance in hell if he hadn't touched it. Unfortunately he did, and that was an unbelievably stupid thing to do.
Whether he actually manipulated it in any way or not doesn't actually matter here - and I don't for a second think he either did or intended to, he was just prodding bits with curiousity. By clearly, openly checking a rival's car during PF conditions, he has absolutely gifted Mercedes a chance to get away with a technical breach (again, whether intended or not; there's many reasons the device could breach regs, and only one of them is "they set it like that on purpose").
It could be a disaster for Red Bull, on a weekend when a five-place penalty for their main rival's main driver should mean extending one championship lead and seizing the other. From Verstappen doing something dumb.
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Well, not pole pole, because apparently being fastest in qualifying isn't pole when you're on pole for the race that isn't a race... or something.
(I hate the sprint not-race)
I think because Verstappen's potential breach is Sporting Regulations it's more likely to be fine/points (I think a five-place grid penalty is also possible), while Hamilton's potential breach is Technical Regulations and more likely to be grid penalties - but if Mercedes don't argue that a title rival interfering with their car under PF is a serious/dangerous breach, which would require the team to breach PF rules to inspect the car themselves for safety, and push for more.
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VolkswagenX
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Mercedes W12 Superbird.
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They can ask Max to help them with the mounting of the new wing?
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andrea
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RB Chads vs Mercedes Betas
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Also not surprised. Reprimand as well or not?
I really do wonder what the Hamilton result will be. FIA has impounded the wing and given Mercedes written permission to use another "of the same design", I'd guess to check for tampering to see whether it's deliberate or a mechanical failure/damage/something that happened during Q3.
Could be anything from nothing to DSQ.
