2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina, Dec 10 - 12

[Dr. Acula]

So now you can overtake under the safety car as long as you give the place back before the safety car line

Sounds like a bad precedent to me

This is the case since almost 3 decades

[NathanOlder]

If he did overtake him under the safety car, that should be a penalty. Plain and simple. They won't apply it, he'll get a reprimand and liberty will hvae the winner they wanted all along. It's just a total fix, that race should've been red flagged or finished under the safety car. It's no longer a sport.

Just re-watched the onboard. Looks like he did.

An overtake under SC, is a position gained. Did Max gain position under SC? No. Has that happened in the past where under safety car, the car ahead and behind are side by side, or nose ahead of car behind? Yes. DId the leader not start in his position when it was a go? Yes he did.

If your old enough to remember, but Schumacher overtook Hill briefly while on the warm up lap. He gave it back, he started from P2, but if i recall correctly, he got a penalty for it, which he ignored and then got black flagged.

[wogx]

[Roo]

What makes me sad is Mercedes sent a bunch of lawyers to the officials where RBR have Newey and Horner (Albert Fabrega). As always with Toto the exact opposite he promises. It is not settled on track, not by the drivers, not even by the teams but their lawyers. He has personally taken the sport to a new level. It’s officially no longer a sport. If money can’t buy you the championship hire advocates. Cannot recall any other sport that is decided after the last event finished by lawyers. The idea he took them (plural) to the championship race in the first place is enough to give me shivers. Bravo Paul Harris QC. A sad day for Motorsport.

Oh come on.

It wasn't as if it was between two drivers, and toto was just defending his'. The people who were under obligation to apply the (not abide by, but apply) the rules, gave a decision that was completely out of the realms of possibility, according to the rules themselves. It was as if the ball was out for a throw in, and all of a sudden a penalty was awarded at the other end of the pitch

If a fraction of this was done to you, and you weren't seeking legal avenues, that would make you a [insert very bad word here].

Agree: the difference being RB would have already been all over social media.

What happened was not short on appauling.

[GrizzleBoy]

Well who needs a QC when the officials in charge of enforcing the rules during the race will literally chuck the rule book out of the window to guarantee you a WDC?

[KeiKo403]

Just googled Paul Harris QC….hmmmm good luck FIA.

[west52keep64]

Congrats to Max, the 2021 WDC, amazing season and well deserved! Bravo!

It's a shame there are protests, but I doubt very much they will amount to anything. As they say, possession is nine-tenths of the law, and it seems impossible to remove the WDC from Max.

It was a strange race, Lewis really did nothing wrong, it's just one of those things that happens in racing sometimes. You could argue the better decision would have been a red flag, and a 5 lap sprint race with both cars on the same tires. I think that would probably have been a better show too, and I think that's something Masi will rue for sure.

[JordanMugen]

If this goes to court, Mercedes will surely win on both counts of protest.

I assume the relevant articles have already been posted, so I seriously doubt so based on the wording of the articles:

15.3 The clerk of the course shall work in permanent consultation with the race director. The race
director shall have overriding authority in the following matters and the clerk of the course may
give orders in respect of them only with his express agreement:
a) The control of practice and the race, adherence to the timetable and, if he deems it
necessary, the making of any proposal to the stewards to modify the timetable in
accordance with the Code or Sporting Regulations.
b) The stopping of any car in accordance with the Code or Sporting Regulations.
c) The stopping of practice or suspension of the race in accordance with the Sporting
Regulations if he deems it unsafe to continue and ensuring that the correct restart
procedure is carried out.
d) The starting procedure.
e) The use of the safety car.

https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files ... 5-27_0.pdf

So Race Director has overriding authority on matters of starting procedure and use of the safety car.

39.12 If the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW
OVERTAKE" has been sent to all teams via the official messaging system, any cars that have been
lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car.
This will only apply to cars that were lapped at the time they crossed the Line at the end of the
lap during which they crossed the first Safety Car line for the second time after the safety car
was deployed.
Having overtaken the cars on the lead lap and the safety car these cars should then proceed
around the track at an appropriate speed, without overtaking, and make every effort to take up
position at the back of the line of cars behind the safety car. Whilst they are overtaking, and in
order to ensure this may be carried out safely, the cars on the lead lap must always stay on the
racing line unless deviating from it is unavoidable. Unless the clerk of the course considers the
presence of the safety car is still necessary, once the last lapped car has passed the leader the
safety car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap.

https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files ... 5-27_0.pdf

The message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE" was not sent to all the teams, so the article and thus procedure in 39.12 does not apply anyway. The Race Director was using their "overriding authority" to implement an alternative starting procedure.

The protest about overtaking under safety car has already been dismissed, as calling it "overtaking" when there is a momentary overlap while the leader while is going very slow is an absurd allegation!

[DAMNINice]

I am just waiting for Hamilton to end this by asking Mercedes to revert the complaint.
He has shown so mush class the especially the last two races.
During and post race.

It would be so classy and honestly. Today, he has shown how a world championship is being won if the governing role does not work for your side.

[Tom145145]

I find it really odd that RB retired Perez, it’s the last lap of the last race. I don’t want to put on the tin foil hat but I can’t think of any reason you would give up a podium under the safety car of the final race. It’s not to save components that’s for sure.

[JordanMugen]

The people who were under obligation to apply the (not abide by, but apply) the rules, gave a decision that was completely out of the realms of possibility, according to the rules themselves.

That seems rather a misunderstanding of the sporting regulations. The race director has "overriding authority" [regulation 15.3] to do whatever they want with respect to safety car operation and starting procedures.

[GrizzleBoy]

If this goes to court, Mercedes will surely win on both counts of protest.

I assume the relevant articles have already been posted, so I seriously doubt so based on the wording of the articles:

15.3 The clerk of the course shall work in permanent consultation with the race director. The race
director shall have overriding authority in the following matters and the clerk of the course may
give orders in respect of them only with his express agreement:
a) The control of practice and the race, adherence to the timetable and, if he deems it
necessary, the making of any proposal to the stewards to modify the timetable in
accordance with the Code or Sporting Regulations.
b) The stopping of any car in accordance with the Code or Sporting Regulations.
c) The stopping of practice or suspension of the race in accordance with the Sporting
Regulations if he deems it unsafe to continue and ensuring that the correct restart
procedure is carried out.
d) The starting procedure.
e) The use of the safety car.

https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files ... 5-27_0.pdf

So Race Director has overriding authority on matters of starting procedure and use of the safety car.

39.12 If the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW
OVERTAKE" has been sent to all teams via the official messaging system, any cars that have been
lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car.
This will only apply to cars that were lapped at the time they crossed the Line at the end of the
lap during which they crossed the first Safety Car line for the second time after the safety car
was deployed.
Having overtaken the cars on the lead lap and the safety car these cars should then proceed
around the track at an appropriate speed, without overtaking, and make every effort to take up
position at the back of the line of cars behind the safety car. Whilst they are overtaking, and in
order to ensure this may be carried out safely, the cars on the lead lap must always stay on the
racing line unless deviating from it is unavoidable. Unless the clerk of the course considers the
presence of the safety car is still necessary, once the last lapped car has passed the leader the
safety car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap.

https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files ... 5-27_0.pdf

The message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE" was not sent to all the teams, so the article and thus procedure in 39.12 does not apply anyway. The Race Director was using their "overriding authority" to implement an alternative starting procedure.

The protest about overtaking under safety car has already been dismissed, as calling it "overtaking" when there is a momentary overlap while the leader while is going very slow is an absurd allegation!

Right, so what will the defence be for deviating from the written regulations and creating unwritten rules on the fly?

If it wasn't for safety reasons, then what reason was there to deviate in such a way, and in multiple ways, with the outcome being an almost guraranteed WDC win for one driver, while that same driver is also protected from any attack from behind due to the way the on the fly rules were created?

Why?

[siskue2005]

Merc knew something similar to Jedda was going to happen with Max and came prepared.

[KeiKo403]

I find it really odd that RB retired Perez, it’s the last lap of the last race. I don’t want to put on the tin foil hat but I can’t think of any reason you would give up a podium under the safety car of the final race. It’s not to save components that’s for sure.

Because if he was having issues with his car the last thing a red Bull want is for him to break down/lose oil all over the track and ensure the race ends under the safety car

[Shrieker]

I am just waiting for Hamilton to end this by asking Mercedes to revert the complaint.
He has shown so mush class the especially the last two races.
During and post race.

It would be so classy and honestly. Today, he has shown how a world championship is being won if the governing role does not work for your side.

I hope he does this. It would be the least controversial full stop to this travesty.